The Economy Minister says the 2020/2021 budget was put together keeping in mind the struggles of everyday Fijians.

The Economy Minister says the 2020/2021 budget is aimed at helping Fiji recover from the impact of COVID-19 and safe-guarding Fijians’ wellbeing.

While the coronavirus pandemic has been a blow to all sectors, this will not hinder the Ministry of Health’s effort to improve people’s health.

Banks have given their undertaking that all Fijians whose loans repayments have been affected by COVID-19, will be able to apply for a repayment holiday until the end of the year.

The Fiji Roads Authority has been allocated $348.9m in the 2020/2021 budget, an increase of $72.4m from the last financial year.

1st August 2020 will mark the end of Fiji’s business license regime.

Fijians who genuinely cannot afford to pay their water bills will have payments deferred rather than be disconnected- this policy will be extended to 31 March 2021.

To ensure that more Fijians own a home, the first homeowners will be provided with a grant up to $30,000.

Government has set aside $100 million to help the Fiji National Provident Fund to assist those Fijians who have had their jobs affected due to COVID-19.

The Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts has been allocated $450.6m in the 2020/2021 national budget, a decrease of $17.1m from last year’s allocation.

Good news for business operators and aspiring entrepreneurs as there have been business-friendly measures announced to assist Fijians impacted by COVID-19.

A phenomenal budget has come out of the Ministry of Economy.