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VAT on Gold from 2026: What Sellers in Sri Lanka Should Know

2026-08-28 6 min readGold Buyer Sri Lanka Team
VAT on Gold from 2026: What Sellers in Sri Lanka Should Know

Tax rules around gold changed in 2026 and there is a lot of confusion about who is affected. Here is a plain summary, with the reminder that this is general information rather than tax advice.

What changed

From January 2026, VAT applies to gold sales in Sri Lanka under the prevailing regulations. Licensed dealers are required to account for VAT correctly and to issue proper documentation on qualifying transactions.

Why documentation matters more now

  • Receipts should clearly state weight, karat, rate applied and the total paid.
  • Identification requirements are enforced consistently.
  • Dealing with a registered, compliant buyer avoids problems later.
Careful

Informal buyers who avoid paperwork may look cheaper on the day, but they leave you with no record of the transaction.

Gold Buyer Sri Lanka's position

We are a registered company operating under Sri Lankan law with 40+ years of experience in the trade. Every purchase is documented and every rate is published. We buy gold and silver outright — we do not provide pawning, gold loans or money exchange services.

Get specific advice where needed

If your situation involves business activity, large volumes or an estate, speak to a qualified tax adviser. This article is a general explanation only.

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Important Service Notice

We Are Outright Gold Buyers — We Do Not Offer Pawning Services

Gold Buyer Sri Lanka purchases gold, diamonds and luxury watches outright for instant cash. We are not a pawn broker, finance company or lending institution. Please note the following services are not provided by us.

Services We Do Not Provide

  • Pawning / pawn broking (උකස් සේවා) — we do not give loans against gold.
  • Buying already-pawned gold or pawn tickets from customers.
  • Mortgage gold releasing or settling pawn tickets at banks, pawn centres or finance companies.
  • Re-pawning, pawn transfers or pawn ticket takeovers.
  • Gold loans, interest-based advances or any lending facility.
  • Redeeming, auctioning or holding customer gold as security.
  • Money exchange / currency exchange (මුදල් හුවමාරු) — we do not exchange foreign currency.
  • Buying or selling USD, EUR, GBP or any other foreign currency at current exchange rates.

What We Actually Do

  • Outright cash purchase of gold jewellery, coins, bars and scrap gold.
  • Purchase of certified diamonds, precious gemstones and loose stones.
  • Purchase of authentic luxury watches.
  • Free, non-destructive XRF purity testing and certified digital weighing.
  • Instant payment in cash or same-day bank transfer, with no deductions.

Pawn rates shown on this website are published for market comparison only, so you can see how much more you receive by selling outright instead of pawning. They are not an offer of a pawning or loan facility.

Live Gold Rate Today

22K LKR 340,752 | LKR 363,652