President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as Finance Minister, will present the 2027 Budget in Parliament on Thursday, 12 November.

Parliament is scheduled to meet at 1.30 pm. The President will present the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill for 2027, which is the Budget Speech.

The Budget debate will then run for 26 days, from 13 November to 14 December. The Appropriation Bill was presented to Parliament for its First Reading on 7 October 2026.

The Second Reading debate will be held over seven days, from 13 November to 20 November. The vote on the Second Reading will be taken at 6.00 pm on 20 November.

The Committee Stage debate will follow from 21 November to 14 December, over 19 days that include four Saturdays. The vote on the Third Reading will be held at 6.00 pm on 14 December.

During the Budget period, Parliament will sit from 9.30 am each day. The first half hour is set aside for business listed under Standing Orders 22(1) to 22(6). The next half hour is for five Questions for Oral Answers, and the period from 10.30 am to 11.00 am is reserved for one Question under Standing Order 27(2).

The Budget debate itself will run from 11.00 am to 6.00 pm on all days except 20 November and 14 December, when votes are held. On those two days, the period from 6.00 pm to 6.30 pm is allocated for the debate on Motions at Adjournment Time.

Background

The Appropriation Bill authorises the government to spend money from the Consolidated Fund in the coming year. Under the Constitution, Parliament controls public finance, so the government cannot spend without its approval.

The Budget Speech sets out the government’s tax and spending plans for the year. The Appropriation Bill is then debated and voted on in stages, as the timetable above shows. The Committee Stage is when the spending of individual ministries is examined.

On Wednesday, the Opposition launched a website, oversight.lk, which it says will track the government’s financial performance across its two previous budgets and the upcoming one.

What it means

Readers will learn from the Budget Speech what the government plans on taxes, public spending and services for 2027. Proposals in the speech do not take effect until Parliament passes the Appropriation Bill and, where needed, other legislation and gazette notices are issued.

The final vote on 14 December is the date by which the Bill is due to be passed. Until then, the debate gives MPs from both sides the chance to question each ministry’s allocation.