Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum has rubbished the claims by Fiji Taxi Union General Secretary Rishi Ram that the lifting of the freeze in taxi permits will jeopardize the taxi business industry.
The 2017/2018 budget announcement included the lifting of the freeze on these permits come January next year.
Sayed‑ Khaiyum says there are several benefits for taxi owners that the government has thought of before lifting the freeze.
Fiji Taxi Union’s General Secretary Rishi Ram says this is a bad idea as now every other vehicle on the road will be a taxi.
Ram says the government should reconsider their decision to lift the freeze as there will be too many taxis on the road.
He says this will make earning a living through the taxi business difficult now.
Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum says first choice will be given to those who applied for permits during the freeze period.
To decrease tax burdens on taxi operators, the fiscal import duty on second hand hybrid cars for taxi businesses has been reduced to half for the next two years. This will apply to taxi operators who have only one taxi.
-Fiji Village
