Sri Lanka Faces Pressure to Digitise Land Data for 2027 Tax

Sri Lanka must complete a nationwide digital property database before introducing its new property tax in 2027, Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma said. The database will need to include valuations, property types, ownership structures and distribution patterns to support the IMF-mandated tax reforms.

Although the Valuation Department is digitising existing records and building a national Sales Price and Rents Register, analysts warn progress is slow. A study by Verité Research and Prof. Mick Moore stressed that Sri Lanka is already two years behind its IMF commitments, with current manual valuation processes described as costly, inconsistent and prone to irregularities.

Critics point out that the country previously rejected substantial external support for land-digitalisation most notably the US MCC grant leaving the government now forced to fund similar reforms with limited fiscal space. Failure to complete digitisation on time could delay the planned 2027 property tax.

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