Kamna Kumar 
[file photo]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad says the government’s recent decision to lower tariffs aims to help consumers save money while encouraging local businesses to improve efficiency.
However, Investment Fiji Chair Jenny Seeto has raised concerns about how the changes might impact local manufacturers, especially those in the chicken industry.
Professor Prasad explains that the government is not removing protections but adjusting policies to balance consumer needs with support for local producers.
“We’ve had a history of protection in this country, and some of those protection measures are very good. It has helped create particular types of manufacturing growth in businesses. But we cannot continue to do this at the expense of our consumers our people all the time.”
The tariff on chicken portions and offals like giblets and liver, which previously stood at 42 percent, has been reduced to 32 percent. This will further drop to 15 percent in the next fiscal year.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed there are no hidden motives behind these changes and that the government remains open to reviewing policies if results are not positive.
“You know, governments get it wrong as well, and governments must always be ready to review policies. So when we put that 3 percent on raw materials we put it back. We removed it, because we understood that.”
While fiscal duty on chicken portions and offals have been reduced, whole chickens will remain protected with a 32 percent fiscal duty and 10 percent excise duty.
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