4 Feb 2005

Fiji business leader welcomes government package for Vanua Levu

4:23 pm on 4 February 2005

A business leader in Fiji's northern island of Vanua Levu says a multi-million government assistance package must be delivered promptly.

The Fiji Government has announced it has approved a range of tax, import duty and infrastructure incentive plans drawn up by the Commerce Ministry for depressed Vanua Levu.

The package has been welcomed, although there are concerns it does not go far enough and could be altered up upcoming elections, next year, if implementation is delayed.

Labasa businessman and the former president of the centre's chamber of commerce, Subrail Prasad, says the package is good news, but the assistance must be rolled out urgently.

"The only thing I would like to see, or the business people in Labasa would like to see, that these are implemented as soon as possible and not just approved and left there and we don't know what happened after the next elections or whatever. These are good signs and if these are activated or implemented promptly I think it will be a great help to the people of the Northern Division."

Subrail Prasad.

The chief executive of the Commerce Ministry, Isireli Koyamaibole, says the tax and duty concessions are already in force, but infrastructure improvements are yet to come.