Sri Lanka, Oct. 12 -- The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has revealed that more than Rs. 4 billion in assessment tax arrears remain outstanding within the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area.

This revelation was made when officials from the Colombo Municipal Council were summoned before the COPA Committee recently.

During the proceedings, COPA Chairman MP Kabir Hashim raised concerns regarding the persistent arrears, stating:

"One of the recommendations made last February noted that arrears amounting to Rs. 610 million were due from the Fort Division alone. At that time, the Municipal Council agreed to increase efforts to recover these arrears. However, by June, only Rs. 53 million had been collected. I am not sure if that amount...