COLOMBO -- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has laid out the bankrupt country's budget for 2024, drawing mixed reviews as he strives to meet the demands of an International Monetary Fund bailout program without sowing further public resentment ahead of expected elections.
Some observers applauded the proposals, not only for what they included but also what they did not -- new taxes on top of hikes already announced. But others expressed concern that the budget seemed designed to placate certain voters, and only temporarily, while not doing enough to help the struggling masses.
