Facts prove Opposition criticisms wrong

Timoci Gaunavinaka, Nausori

Opposition criticisms of the recently announced 2020-2021 National Budget seem to focus on why Value Added Tax (VAT) on basic food items were not reduced to zero. They argue that this makes poor people suffer.

But the FijiFirst Government reduced VAT on all basic food items from about 16 per cent to zero just a few years ago and the same people complained that VAT on other items were too high.

Now the Government has put VAT at a flat 9 per cent, and they are complaining again that the poor and common people will suffer because of VAT on basic food items. You cannot bite both sides of the cake!

Although the Opposition argument may sound so noble and convincing to many, facts of the matter prove exactly the opposite.

Not a single person has died in Fiji from starvation, but we are dying in our thousands every year from non-communicable diseases caused mainly by over eating and lack of exercise. These are raw facts, not lies twisted to sound noble just to hoodwink the ignorant. In fact, it may be better for the Government to increase the VAT on some food items to discourage people from over eating and save lives.

Secondly, during the SVT (Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei) and SDL (Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua) eras, any worker earning $9000 and above gets his or her income taxed. Today you need to earn over $30,000 to pay income tax. This has given an increase of $21,000 to workers’ non taxable income. Over 80 per cent of workers in this country fall into that category and have benefited tremendously from it.

Thirdly, reducing or deleting duty on imported vegetables and fruits will never affect local farmers. A big chunk of this imported produce do not grow here and some of the ones that do, do not match the quality or quantity demanded in our tourism industry which is the backbone of our economy.

So, to put it in short, I find the core of the opposition criticisms of the Budget to be both fictitious and maliciously aimed at attacking the most brilliant and bold budget ever made. A budget that can guide us to normalcy and prosperity through this era of the COVID-19 pandemic.