Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using this Site or entering into a professional services engagement with CAS, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old, have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts, and agree to comply with these Terms and all applicable Sri Lankan laws and regulations.

These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and clients. For professional services engagements, these Terms are supplemented by a separate Letter of Engagement issued to you, which will prevail in the event of any conflict.

2. Our Services

CAS provides the following professional financial services to businesses and individuals in Sri Lanka:

• Tax planning and compliance (corporate tax, personal tax, VAT, withholding tax)
• Accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll services
• Financial consulting and advisory
• Audit and assurance services
• Business advisory, company formation, and secretarial services

The specific scope of services in any given engagement is defined in the Letter of Engagement agreed between CAS and the client. Nothing on this Site constitutes a formal offer of services or professional advice. General information published on this Site is for informational purposes only.

3. Engagement Terms

Letter of Engagement

All professional services engagements are governed by a Letter of Engagement, which sets out the scope of work, deliverables, fees, and timelines. No engagement commences until a Letter of Engagement has been signed by both parties.

Professional standards

All services are performed in accordance with the professional standards and ethical guidelines of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) and, where applicable, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Our work is subject to ICASL quality review.

Independence

For audit engagements, CAS will comply with the independence requirements set out in the ICASL Code of Ethics. If a conflict of interest or impairment of independence arises during an engagement, we will notify you promptly and agree on an appropriate course of action.

4. Client Obligations

To enable us to provide services effectively, you agree to:

• Provide complete, accurate, and timely information, documents, and records as reasonably requested.
• Notify us promptly of any changes to your business, financial position, or circumstances that may affect the services.
• Make all required decisions and approvals within agreed timeframes.
• Ensure that any information provided to us for submission to regulatory authorities (including the Department of Inland Revenue) is accurate and complete. CAS does not verify the accuracy of information supplied by clients and accepts no liability for any inaccuracies therein.
• Retain responsibility for filing and submission deadlines; while we will endeavour to complete work in time, CAS accepts no liability for penalties arising from the late provision of information by you.

5. Fees and Payment

Fee structure

Fees are agreed in the Letter of Engagement and may be structured as a fixed retainer, project-based fee, or time-and-materials rate depending on the nature of the services. All fees are quoted in Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) and are exclusive of applicable taxes unless stated otherwise.

Invoicing and payment

• Invoices are issued monthly or at the completion of defined milestones as specified in the Letter of Engagement.
• Payment is due within 14 calendar days of the invoice date unless a different term is agreed in writing.
• Late payments will accrue interest at a rate of 2% per month on the outstanding balance from the due date until the date of receipt.

Disbursements

Out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred in connection with your engagement (e.g. government filing fees, courier costs, software licences obtained on your behalf) will be charged at cost and itemised on invoices.

Fee changes

CAS reserves the right to review and revise its fee schedule annually. We will provide at least 30 days' written notice of any change to fees applicable to an ongoing engagement.

6. Confidentiality

CAS regards all client information as strictly confidential. We will not disclose your information to any third party except:

• Where required by law, court order, or the regulatory requirements of ICASL or any other competent authority.
• To service providers engaged by CAS to assist in delivering services, subject to obligations of confidentiality.
• With your prior written consent.

This confidentiality obligation survives the termination of any engagement and these Terms. All team members of CAS sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of their employment or engagement.

You acknowledge that information communicated via email is not inherently secure. Sensitive documents should be shared through our secure client portal where available, or by arrangement with your account manager.

7. Intellectual Property

CAS content

All content on this Site — including text, graphics, logos, and design — is the property of CAS or its licensors and is protected by applicable Sri Lankan and international copyright and intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Site content without our prior written consent.

Deliverables

Work product produced exclusively for you under a professional engagement (e.g. financial statements, tax returns) becomes your property upon full payment of fees. Methodologies, templates, working papers, and software used in producing such work product remain the property of CAS.

8. Use of the Website

You agree to use this Site only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of others. You must not:

• Use the Site in any way that disrupts, damages, or impairs its functionality or availability.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Site or its underlying systems.
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to extract data from the Site without our written consent.
• Transmit any malicious code, viruses, or harmful data through the Site or the contact form.
• Submit false or misleading information through the contact form.

We reserve the right to restrict or terminate access to the Site for any user who breaches these conditions.

9. Disclaimers

The Site and all content thereon are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

CAS does not warrant that:

• The Site will be available continuously, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components.
• The information on the Site is complete, current, or accurate.
• Any specific result or outcome will be achieved through engagement of our services.

While CAS takes all reasonable care in providing professional services, the performance of those services depends on the quality and completeness of information provided by clients.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Sri Lankan law, CAS's aggregate liability to you — whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise — arising out of or in connection with these Terms or any professional engagement shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to CAS in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

CAS shall not be liable for any:

• Loss of profit, revenue, business, or anticipated savings.
• Loss of goodwill or reputation.
• Indirect, consequential, special, or punitive damages.
• Penalties or interest assessed by the Department of Inland Revenue or any other authority arising from inaccurate or untimely information provided by you.
• Losses caused by events outside our reasonable control (force majeure).

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CAS and its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your breach of these Terms.
• Inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information provided by you to CAS.
• Your use of the Site in violation of applicable law.
• Any third-party claim arising from your use of our deliverables in a manner not authorised or contemplated by the engagement.

12. Termination

By you

You may terminate a professional engagement by providing written notice as specified in your Letter of Engagement. You remain liable for all fees for work performed up to the date of termination and for any non-cancellable expenses incurred on your behalf.

By CAS

CAS reserves the right to suspend or terminate an engagement or your access to the Site with immediate effect and without liability if:

• You breach these Terms or the Letter of Engagement and fail to remedy the breach within 14 days of written notice.
• You fail to make payment by the due date.
• Continuing the engagement would breach our professional obligations or ICASL ethical standards.
• We have reason to believe you have provided materially false information.

Effect of termination

Upon termination, all outstanding fees become immediately due and payable. CAS will provide you with your documents and data within a reasonable time, subject to payment of outstanding amounts. Clauses relating to confidentiality, intellectual property, limitation of liability, and dispute resolution survive termination.

13. Dispute Resolution

Good faith negotiation

If a dispute arises out of or in connection with these Terms or any engagement, both parties agree first to attempt to resolve it through good faith negotiation. Either party may escalate a dispute by sending written notice, following which senior representatives of both parties will meet (in person or virtually) within 15 business days to seek resolution.

Mediation

If negotiation fails to resolve the dispute within 30 days of the written notice, either party may refer the dispute to mediation administered by an agreed mediator in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The costs of mediation are shared equally unless the mediator determines otherwise.

Litigation

If mediation fails or is not agreed upon, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Sri Lanka. These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Sri Lanka.

14. General Provisions

Entire agreement

These Terms, together with any Letter of Engagement, constitute the entire agreement between you and CAS regarding their subject matter, and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a competent court, that provision shall be severed and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorised representative of CAS.

Assignment

You may not assign any of your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. CAS may assign its rights and obligations in connection with a business transfer or restructuring, provided we notify you and the quality of services is not materially diminished.

Force majeure

CAS shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, government actions, civil unrest, power failures, or internet outages, provided we notify you promptly and take reasonable steps to mitigate the impact.

Updates to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. Continued use of the Site or services after any update constitutes acceptance. For material changes affecting active engagements, we will provide 30 days' written notice.

15. Contact