FCCC urges people to check receipts and report if 12.5% VAT is not reflected

With the reduction in VAT from 15 to 12.5 percent now in effect, the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is urging people to check their receipts, which should show the reduced VAT — and if it does not, they should report the matter.

While speaking to fijivillage News, FCCC CEO Senikavika Jiuta says they must have evidence before FCCC can take any enforcement action, which means charging businesses under Section 53 of the FCCC Act for failing to pass on the VAT reduction.

She says they have set the new master price list for price-controlled items with a 12.5 percent change and it should be easy for retailers and wholesalers to implement these prices.

The CEO says if they do not implement the master price list FCCC has sent them, then they will definitely take enforcement action.

She stresses that for basic food items, there will be no warnings or counselling — they will go straight into taking necessary prosecution actions against them.

Jiuta says they have sent out more than 400 letters to stakeholders requesting relevant pricing information as part of their budget preparations and ongoing surveillance and of those, about 103 have submitted the information, but that has not stopped them.

She says notices have been issued to those who missed the deadline to provide information and FCCC hopes they will comply, because if they do not, then FCCC will have to charge them for failing to provide that information.

She adds however, stakeholders on the ground have been complaining, but they have not submitted information at the back-end of things.