Government revenue has dropped significantly and it is also affecting the country's ability to seek foreign aid, Minister of Social Empowerment and Welfare S.B. Dissanayake said.

Speaking to media recently, the minister said that this fact is brought up regularly when the government discusses the financial issues with the IMF, World Bank and other financial institutions.

Since the essential services are being conducted with government funds, it is vital to increase government revenue, Dissanayake added.

He explained that this was the reason for several drastic decisions of the government, including the increase of vehicle taxes. However, these are short term measures by the government, he added.