Former Deputy Leader of the United National Party and MP Ravi Karunanayake has questioned the Finance Minister over the government’s proposal to convert the Employees Provident Fund into a pension scheme.
Raising the issue in Parliament under Standing Order 27(2), the MP asked whether agreements reached under the International Monetary Fund loan programme had influenced the emergency policy change being prepared in relation to the fund.
He also sought clarification from the Finance Minister on whether any actuarial studies or cabinet-level discussions have been conducted on the proposal since late 2025.
If such discussions have taken place, Karunanayake asked whether the issues examined and decisions taken would be presented to Parliament.
The MP further inquired whether the government has carried out a comparative analysis between the existing lump-sum system and a lifetime pension model, as well as the 13 percent benefit received in 2023.
