Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake today said that the VAT (Amendment) Bill was published in the Gazette after Cabinet approval, claiming that UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardena's recent statement on the matter was false.

Speaking during a press conference at the Finance Ministry, he said that the Gazettee notification was published on September 13.

Quoting the Acting Head of the Department of Government Printing, he said that the Gazette is published on each Friday and supplements are published to that until the next Friday. Therefore, the VAT (Amendment) Bill was published on September 13, as a supplement to the Gazette on September 9, Karunanayake said.

Gunawardena, at a recent press conference, claimed that the Gazette notification on the VAT (Amendment) Bill was published without approval of the Cabinet.