FCCC Act review to reintroduce on-the-spot fines

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission Act is being reviewed where one of the key areas that is under review is the reintroduction of on-the-spot fines.

This has been confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica during the debate on the Consolidated Review Report of the FCCC’s 2019–2020, 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 annual reports.

Kamikamica says it is important that all our regulatory authorities going forward have the necessary teeth to be able to carry out their regulatory responsibilities.

He says FCCC has continued work on the legislation and met the Asian Development Bank ADB on 12th September and has provided updates on progress regarding the Bill.

Kamikamica says they hope to bring the Bill to Parliament around November, and upon its endorsement, they will continue the process.

The Deputy Prime Minister says in recognizing the need of FCCC to scale up in terms of manpower, they have right now 107 officers, and are targeting to elevate this to 135 in the 2025-2026 year.

He says this is to ensure compliance is maintained, particularly given the cost-of-living pressures, and that having officers out monitoring this area remains very important.

Opposition MP Premila Kumar says if FCCC is to truly protect consumers and create fair conditions for businesses, then it must have stronger laws, sharper enforcement tools, and a modern approach that fits today's economy.

While stressing on the need to reinstate FCCC's authority to issue spot fines, Kumar says when a trader fails to display the correct price or overcharge on a controlled item, the consumer suffers.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad says they need to empower FCCC in a much more clear and immediate way in terms of how they can enforce, educate and work with businesses.

He says however, there are some honest businesses who do pass on prices that the government policies intended to the consumers.

Professor Prasad adds that in the last three years, the government provided an average of about $5 million every year to the FCCC and that is sufficient for them to do their job.