Duty on 1,600 items reduced or removed because some local businesses were price gouging – Sayed-Khaiyum

Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says some local businesses that received protection status are inefficient and had gone into price gouging as they had the same price as similar imported items that had a huge level of duty imposed.

While speaking at the Post Budget Discussion organised by the Fiji Chamber of Commerce and Industry at GPH, Sayed-Khaiyum says consumers were losing out and this is one of the reasons why duty on 1,600 items was reduced or removed and it also gave them the opportunity to re-look at the tariff structure.

He says, for example, there is a protection rate for tinned fish because we have our factory in Ovalau and there is also a processing plant in Laucala Beach that imports fish but cans and sells it in Fiji.

The Minister says there are other types of fish that we are not dealing with like salmon or sardine and other fish the country does not produce or can.

He adds that one of the major problems identified in the tourism sector is that the food and beverages are very expensive.