Minister of Finance (Sri Lanka) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka මුදල්, ආර්ථික ස්ථායිකරණ සහ ජාතික ප්‍රතිපත්ති අමාත්‍ය நிதி, பொருளாதார நிலைப்படுத்தல் மற்றும் தேசிய கொள்கைகள் அமைச்சர்
Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe since 25 May 2022
Ministry of Finance
Appointer	The President with advice of Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	Junius Richard Jayewardene
Formation	26 September 1947

The Minister of Finance is a very important job in the Cabinet of Sri Lanka. This person is in charge of how the country's money is managed. The official name in Sinhala is Sinhala: මුදල්, ආර්ථික ස්ථායිකරණ සහ ජාතික ප්‍රතිපත්ති අමාත්‍ය and in Tamil it is Tamil: நிதி, பொருளாதார நிலைப்படுத்தல் மற்றும் தேசிய கொள்கைகள் அமைச்சர். This role was created in 1947 when Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, became an independent country.

What Does the Finance Minister Do?

The Minister of Finance is like the chief money manager for the entire country. Their main job is to handle the government's budget, which means deciding how much money the government collects (from taxes, for example) and how it spends that money on things like schools, hospitals, and roads. They also work on making sure the country's economy stays strong and stable. This includes creating plans for the future of the country's finances.

A Quick Look at History

The idea of a finance leader in Sri Lanka goes way back. Before Sri Lanka became independent, there was a "Treasurer of Ceylon" and then a "Financial Secretary." These roles helped manage the money for the British government in Ceylon.

In 1947, when Sri Lanka gained its independence, the new position of "Minister of Finance and the Treasury of Ceylon" was officially created. The very first person to hold this important job was a young leader named J.R. Jayawardena. Over the years, this ministry grew to handle all the big decisions about the country's money and future plans.

Recent Changes in the Role

In April 2022, Ali Sabry became the Minister of Finance. He took over from Basil Rajapaksa. However, because of a big financial problem in Sri Lanka, Mr. Sabry resigned the very next day. He later decided to continue in the role for a short time.

Later, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed as the finance minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. When Mr. Wickremesinghe himself became President, he continued to hold the position of Finance Minister.

Who Has Been the Finance Minister?

Many different people have served as the Minister of Finance since Sri Lanka became independent. They come from various political parties. Here's a list of some of the people who have held this important job:

Political Parties

      United National Party (10)       Sri Lanka Freedom Party (9)       Lanka Sama Samaja Party (1)       Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (3)

Name		Portrait	Party	When They Served	Government Leader		Job Title
	Junius Richard Jayewardene (1st time)		United National Party	September 26, 1947 – October 13, 1953		Don Stephen Senanayake	Ministry of Finance and the Treasury of Ceylon
						Dudley Senanayake
	Oliver Goonetilleke (1st time)		United National Party	October 14, 1953 – June 30, 1954		John Kotelawala
	M. D. H. Jayawardena		United National Party	July 1, 1954 – February 18, 1956			Ministry of Finance
	Stanley de Zoysa		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	April 12, 1956 – November 22, 1959		S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
						Wijeyananda Dahanayake
	M. M. Mustapha		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	November 22, 1959 – December 5, 1959
	Oliver Goonetilleke (2nd time)		United National Party	March 21, 1960 – April 23, 1960		Dudley Senanayake
	J. R. Jayewardene (2nd time)		United National Party	April 24, 1960 – July 20, 1960
	Felix Dias Bandaranaike (1st time)		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	July 21, 1960 – August 24, 1962		Sirimavo Bandaranaike
	C. P. de Silva		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	August 28, 1962 – November 8, 1962
	P. B. G. Kalugalla		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	November 9, 1962 – May 10, 1963
	T. B. Ilangaratne		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	May 29, 1963 – June 10, 1964
	N. M. Perera (1st time)		Lanka Sama Samaja Party	June 11, 1964 – December 17, 1964
	U. B. Wanninayake		United National Party	March 27, 1965 – March 25, 1970		Dudley Senanayake
	N. M. Perera (2nd time)		Lanka Sama Samaja Party	May 10, 1970 – September 2, 1975		Sirimavo Bandaranaike
	Felix Dias Bandaranaike (2nd time)		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	September 3, 1975 – May 18, 1977
	Ronnie de Mel		United National Party	July 23, 1977 – January 18, 1988		Junius Richard Jayewardene
	M. H. M. Naina Marikar		United National Party	January 18, 1988 – January 3, 1989		Ranasinghe Premadasa
	Dingiri Banda Wijetunga		United National Party	February 18, 1989 – August 31, 1994
						Dingiri Banda Wijetunga
	Chandrika Kumaratunga		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	September 30, 1994 – December 5, 2001
						Chandrika Kumaratunga
	K. N. Choksy		United National Party	December 12, 2001 – April 2, 2004
	Sarath Amunugama		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	April 14, 2004 – November 22, 2005
	Mahinda Rajapaksa		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	November 23, 2005 – January 9, 2015		Mahinda Rajapaksa
	Ravi Karunanayake		United National Party	January 12, 2015 – May 22, 2017		Maithripala Sirisena
	Mangala Samaraweera		United National Party	May 22, 2017 - November 17, 2019
	Mahinda Rajapaksa		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	November 22, 2019 – July 8, 2021		Gotabaya Rajapaksa
	Basil Rajapaksa		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	July 8, 2021 – April 4, 2022
	Ali Sabry		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	April 4, 2022 – May 9, 2022
	Ranil Wickremesinghe		United National Party	May 25, 2022 – Present
						Ranil Wickremesinghe

See Also

• Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies

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