Opposition MP Jone Usamate says he finds it incredible that this Government expects the families of Fiji to be grateful for a 12.5 percent VAT rate when they were the ones who hiked it to 15 percent in the first place.
In a statement, Usamate says this is absolute hogwash – like breaking a leg and expecting thanks for handing someone a crutch.
He says the indicators across the nation show a clear and dangerous misalignment between Government rhetoric and the reality on the ground.
The Opposition MP adds that food prices have risen by more than 30 percent in the last two years.
He says this is a direct hit on the sovereignty of the family unit.
Usamate explains that, in plain terms, a family that used to spend $100 on groceries now walks out paying $130 for the same basket.
He says the law is a straight line, and governance is about clinical precision.
He further says that instead, they see a Government that lacks the gumption to address the root causes of this economic drift.
He adds that the Government plays with percentages and flip-flops on policy while the machinery of state stalls.
The Opposition MP says having dry taps and broken roads in 2026, while food prices skyrocket, is proof that this administration is more interested in political survival than actual service delivery.
Usamate says his focus remains on the machinery of the state and the technical discipline required to fix these systems, and they do not need more history lessons or excuses about the past.
The former Minister says a forward-looking solution is needed.
He adds that they will restructure VAT on essential goods so families can breathe again, paired with targeted price stabilisation measures that protect the kitchen table, not the bureaucracy.
Usamate adds that we must stop the noise and the distractions.
He says they will continue to hold this administration to account until the country sees a return to common sense and a commitment to always putting the people first.
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