The Consumer Council of Fiji is urging traders to be ethical following the 2016 national budget announcement last Friday.
Council Chief Executive Premila Kumar says they’ve been receiving complaints that some traders are increasing the price of old stock when the increase is only due on new stock purchased after the budget announcement.
Kumar says this is particularly for items such as cigarettes, liquor and sugar-sweetened drinks.
“They have been calling from rural areas mainly outer islands as well and even some urban and peri-urban areas. They have been saying this shop is doing this, that shop is doing that. I understand this will continue.”
Kumar says there were even complaints against some prominent supermarkets as well.
Meanwhile, the nine percent Value Added Tax does not come into effect until 1st January, 2016.
