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Sri Lanka – Packer qal li mhux milqugħ fis-Sri Lanka
By Phil - 23 ta’ Frar 2015
Australian casino owner James Packer has been told he is unwelcome ‘in this lifetime’ in Sri Lanka by the country’s new Prime Minister.
Having withdrawn from plans to build a $350m luxury resort in Colombo, Mr. Packer’s Crown Resorts has been told by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to stay away.
He said: “Packer says he will not come. Who asked you to come? Please don’t come – not in this lifetime.”
The new government vetoed three casinos approved by the former government with Crown not willing to build the resort without a casino. The new government has also refused the five per cent tax rate that had been approved to Mr Packer. The deal would have seen Packer save up to $1bn in 10-year tax breaks.
Previous President Mahinda Rajapaksa wanted casinos in Colombo to boost tourism. They wanted to double the foreign tourist count to 2.5m by 2016. It had wanted to revamp an entire street along Lake Beira for new casinos, creating Sri Lanka’s own mini Vegas Strip. The plan was to offer 10-year tax breaks on income generated from visitors.
Crown ippjanat li tibni Crown Sri Lanka, imsejjaħ resort monumentali li jrid tara li jinsab fuq Beira Lake fid-distrett tar-resort ta 'Colombo. Il-faċilità ta’ 5 stilel kienet toffri madwar 450 kamra u suite, esperjenzi ta’ dining u offerti ta’ divertiment, spazji ta’ konferenzi u avvenimenti, żoni tal-logħob, ħwienet tal-bejgħ bl-imnut u attrazzjoni ta’ karatteristiċi tal-ilma ddisinjati apposta.
John Keells Holdings, l-akbar konglomerat elenkat tas-Sri Lanka, kien qed jippjana li jinvesti $650m f’resort ieħor, li jimmarka l-akbar investiment minn kumpanija domestika fis-Sri Lanka. Ir-resort, li kellu jinfetaħ fl-2018, kien jinkludi lukanda lussuża ta’ 900 kamra, postijiet għall-konferenzi, shopping mall, appartamenti residenzjali, kumpless ta’ uffiċċji u każinò.
Filwaqt li l-progress kien mgħaġġel matul l-2013, il-pjanijiet waqfu wara l-oppożizzjoni mill-mexxejja Buddisti fost tħassib dwar it-tnaqqis fit-taxxa proposti għall-proġett.
