SRI LANKA RANKS 89 IN FORBES’ BEST COUNTRIES FOR BUSINESS

The Sri Lanka government said that the country is placed 89th out of 146 nations in the Forbes’ Best Countries for Business 2014 ranking, while India was 93rd.

The Sri Lanka government said in a statement that Forbes noted, “however, low tax revenues are a major concern. A large trade deficit remains a concern, but strong remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad help offset the trade deficit.”

The best country for business this year is Denmark, which ranked No. 1 three straight years between 2008 and 2010. The top10 includes also Hong Kong, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland.

Forbes’ annual ranking of the Best Countries for Business grades countries on 11 different metrics, including property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.

According to the Sri Lanka government, the Forbes report highlighted that the country “continues to experience strong economic growth following the end of the 26-year conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The government has been pursuing large-scale reconstruction and development projects in its efforts to spur growth in war-torn and disadvantaged areas, develop small and medium enterprises and increase agricultural productivity. The government’s high debt payments and bloated civil service have contributed to historically high budget deficits, but fiscal consolidation efforts and strong GDP growth in recent years have helped bring down the government’s fiscal deficit. However, low tax revenues are a major concern.”

The government statement also highlighted that elsewhere in the report,  “The 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession exposed Sri Lanka’s economic vulnerabilities and nearly caused a balance of payments crisis. Agriculture slowed due to a drought and weak global demand affected exports and trade. In early 2012, Sri Lanka floated the rupee, resulting in a sharp depreciation, and took steps to curb imports. A large trade deficit remains a concern, but strong remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad help offset the trade deficit. Government debt of about 80% of GDP remains among the highest in emerging markets.”