Sri Lanka, Nov. 22 -- The 2021 Budget was hailed by economists, industry experts and the business community as an evenly poised budget but not without challenges as global uncertainty is expected to dampen economic prospects for a good part of 2021. However, cautious optimism was expressed from many quarters due to the potential the country has to achieve higher economic growth which is being supported by a budget which focuses on promoting manufacturing, export competitiveness and harnessing foreign investments for productive ventures to achieve the envisaged target of six and above economic growth rate in the years ahead.

The 2021 Budget is also considered a people-friendly budget providing tax relief across a wide spectrum of sectors ...