Sri Lanka, April 17 -- The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has issued clarifications on important changes in the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act No. 04 of 2025, compared to the Value Added Tax Act, No. 14 of 2002.

The new VAT Act was certified on April 11.

Among the changes, VAT will apply to services supplied by non-resident persons through electronic platforms to persons in Sri Lanka, effective October 1, this year.

Further, all persons importing or exporting goods for commercial purposes will be required to register under the VAT Act, regardless of turnover thresholds or exemptions.

Additionally, all VAT returns must be filed electronically from July 1, 2025. The IRD said that manually filed return submissions will only be allowed ...