[Photo: FILE]

The removal of electric vehicle incentives has sparked debate in Parliament, with Opposition MP Jone Usamate questioning whether the move aligns with Fiji’s climate commitments.

Usamate says while he supports the need for effective tax administration, Fiji must consider the bigger challenge of climate change when making policy decisions.

He says removing concessions that encourage people to shift towards electric vehicles could slow efforts to reduce emissions and move towards a low-carbon future.

Usamate says the country has consistently advocated for stronger action on climate change globally and must ensure its domestic policies reflect those commitments.

“But I also share the concerns expressed by the Leader of the Opposition on the removal of the concessions for electric vehicles. As the LOP has said, the quintessential challenge of our time is climate. That is the big challenge that faces us in small island countries all over the world. And we need to be able to do our bit to get to carbon zero and all of those targets that we have. So to remove incentives that help people to move towards those emission reduction targets does not make sense in the bigger scale of things.”

Usamate adds that while there may be administrative reasons behind removing the incentives, the wider impact on emissions reduction efforts must also be considered.

Government MP Professor Biman Prasad says climate incentives remain important, with support continuing for initiatives such as residential solar systems.

“So we are not sort of deviating from our international commitments in that area, just because, you know, we have this year put an import tax on electric vehicles.”

He says the government continues to balance economic measures with its responsibility to address climate change and reduce emissions.