Our Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) has taken a bold step to soon install a special gadget in cash registers, starting in supermarkets and hardware stores.

FRCA acting chief executive officer Visvanath Das has announced the new device is expected to arrive early next month.

This gadget will inform FRCA of a sale made in real time. This in turn, will determine the correct tax that business houses have to pay.

While this is a positive step, it is disappointing that such a step needed to be taken.

All the statistics about black money circulating in the country – money that should have been taxed but hasn’t – is alarming.

Because it went  under the radar, billions of dollars  did not reach Government coffers. This money should have been used for much needed infrastructure development.

This Government has put considerable emphasis on infrastructure development since it came into power. It’s reflected in the Budget allocation.

Infrastructure development stimulates economic activities and empowers people to access services and improve their lives.

In essence, it promotes the national interest and  improves the general wellbeing of all Fijians.

Money FRCA collects from tax goes into building new roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and health centres.

It contributes to our investment in education, free school fees, free bus fare and free textbooks.

It also pays for wages and salaries of civil servants  and the operational cost of providing service to the people.

Sadly, this is all lost on some people. For  too long they thought they could get away with not paying their taxes.

For too long, some have been getting away with wrongfully saving money which belongs to the Government. They are breaking the law and it’s also morally wrong.

If they have forgotten, they need to be reminded that Government has made a lot of concessions. Taxes in Fiji are one of the lowest in the Pacific. Yet, a number of people had tried to defraud the system.

FRCA knows of horror stories of how some companies kept two cash registers- one for tax purposes and one for their own records.

The move by FRCA has also captured the interest of those who read about it in the Fiji Sun.

Calls were received from a company in Canada which wanted to know more about the gadget which FRCA is getting from Germany. It indicates that this problem of tax evasion is not confined to Fiji only. It shows we are moving in the right direction.

Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj