Press Release 2017

The Consumer Council of Fiji is advising consumers to make prudent choices when shopping for Jasmine Rice and milk fat (ghee) as the prices have gone up.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is calling on traders to straighten their act as far as imposition of the Environment and Climate Adaptation Levy (ECAL) on plastic bags is concerned.

The recently introduced car park fees at the Damodar City has not gone down well with consumers considering Damodar city is an entertainment and shopping complex. According to the company, the car park fees were introduced to solve carpark congestion at Damodar City.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is calling on businesses that do not have the Point of Sale (POS) System or electronic cash registers which clearly reflects the $0.10 Plastic Bag Levy on the receipts to straighten up their conduct and stop charging consumers the levy.

The Consumer Council of Fiji calls on traders and shop owners to engage in ethical business practices as far as the application of the Plastic Bag Levy is concerned.

Consumers who were incorrectly charged the 2% Credit Card Levy (CCL) between January 2012 and August 2013 can now obtain their credit card statements free of charge from their respective banks. The Consumer Council is grateful to Association of Banks in Fiji (ABIF) for taking this initiative in ensuring that consumers do not have to fork out extra money to obtain credit card statements at unreasonable costs.

The Consumer Council of Fiji today inducted seven (7) Community Consumer Advisory Group (CCAG) members.

It has been brought to the Council’s attention that some traders have already started charging 10 cent tax on plastic bag to consumers at the point of sale which should not be the case.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is elated with government’s decision to subsidise the first 100kwh of electricity used by households whose combined income is less than $30,000. A budget of $5million has been allocated to cover for the subsidy.

The Consumer Council of Fiji welcomes the establishment of the Fiji Accident Compensation Commission (FACC) which was long overdue. The Council has been vigorously lobbying for reforms in the laws and systems as far as Compulsory Third Party Insurance is concerned.

The Council welcomes Government’s emphasis in the 2017-2018 Budget on social protection where low-income earners, pensioners, youths, and physically challenged will benefit. The Council views the budget as a clever, well thought that is heavily focused towards improving the quality of lives of ordinary Fijians.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is asking consumers who may own Mazda RX-8 models manufactured in the years 2003-2008 to get their vehicles checked by Niranjans, being the authorized Mazda dealer in Fiji.

In light of the recent decision made by the by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) to refund consumers who were incorrectly charged the 2% Credit Card Levy (CCL) have to spend more money to obtain credit card statements.

With the 2017-2018 National Budget announcement date nearing, the Council is hoping that the government will again consider the concerns of Fijian consumers in its budget priorities.

The Consumer Council of Fiji welcomes the setting up of the new Kidney Dialysis Centre in Lautoka by the Island Kidney Assistance Foundation Fiji (IKAFF). The soon to open dialysis facility comes as a relief to the majority of the kidney dialysis patients who live in Viti Levu. This means that getting the treatment at a lower rate, in comparison to the other two facilities (Kidney Foundation of Fiji (KFoF) and Zen’s Medical Centre) offering the same services is now really well within their reach.

The Consumer Council of Fiji is pleased with the decision made by the Association of Banks in Fiji (ABIF) and Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) to reimburse consumers who were wrongly charged 2% credit card levy in 2012 and 2013.

The Consumer Council of Fiji welcomes the initiative undertaken by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) whereby they will be implementing the VAT Monitoring System (VMS) project in the supermarkets around the country soon.

Consumers are once again being cautioned to seek expert opinion on the second hand vehicles they intend to purchase.

The Consumer Council of Fiji reiterates its call that mandatory standard must be introduced to curb illegal trade practices in the marketplace where consumers unknowingly lose their hard-earned money

The Consumer Council is calling on the Hire Purchase (HP) companies in Fiji to clarify their stance on why they do not provide manufacturer’s warranty to consumers upon their purchase.