FRCS senior executives are attending a week-long Regional Workshop on Navigating Complex Tax Technical Audit Issues which is organised by the Pacific Islands Tax Administrators Association (PITAA) and Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre (PFTAC) at the Holiday Inn in Suva.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Strategic Planning, National Development, and Statistics, Hon. Prof. Biman Prasad officiated the Workshop. Our CEO Mr. Udit Singh also attended the opening session.

The Workshop serves as a platform for tax administration representatives from PITAA and PFTAC member countries to come together, discuss challenges, share insights, and best practices and receive training on complex and technical tax issues.

It also aims to foster an environment of mutual learning, where contemporary approaches and solutions to complex tax matters can be explored collectively and encourage collaboration among member countries in helping each other to address tax compliance issues. Overall, the Workshop provides an exciting opportunity for professionals to engage, learn and collaborate effectively for the advancement of revenue administration in the Pacific region.

The Workshop ends on this Friday.

The Transnational Crime Unit (TCU) met at the FRCS Headquarters in Nasese for the operational and strategic planning to further strengthen their collaborative efforts in safeguarding the integrity and security of Fijian borders and community.

While addressing the Unit, FRCS CEO, Mr. Udit Singh stated that the partnership between FRCS and TCU is a critical one, united by a shared vision and commitment to protect Fiji from the threats posed by transnational crime.

“Our shared vision is clear- to create a safe and secure environment for all Fijians, fostering economic growth and stability through effective law enforcement and border protection. This includes preventing the illegal entry of goods, contraband, and individuals who pose a threat to our nation,” Mr. Singh said.

“Another fundamental responsibility for FRCS is protecting our nation’s revenue. We must work together to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities that undermine our economy and deprive the government of crucial funds needed for development and public services.”

According to Mr. Singh, this vision requires TCU to be vigilant, innovative, and firm in their efforts to combat the illicit activities that threaten Fijian borders and undermine the economy.

Director of Narcotics of the Fiji Police Force Mr. Fiso Nasario highlighted that strategy was a very important tool to achieve goals and it was imperative that TCU develops effective strategies to protect the Fijian border.

FRCS Director Border and Customs, Ms. Shelini Kumar shared the positive strategies currently undertaken by the Customs Division to further enhance capabilities on border protection.

We were pleased to be invited by the Fiji Indigenous Business Council to participate in a panel discussion on the Company Director Role during their workshop in Lami.

With the theme “Regroup, Rethink, Refocus: Creating Our Future in Business”, the two-day brought together entrepreneurs, relevant stakeholders, government officials and distinguished participants from various sectors.

FRCS Senior Manager, Taxpayer Education, Mr. Vilimone Nailotei, provided an overview of corporate governance, company director role and tax updates. Mr. Nailotei also highlighted the director’s duties under the Companies Act 2015 and Tax Administration Act 2009, Taxpayer Online Service (TPOS) processes and incentives and concessions available.

Congratulations to our team members from the Compliance Division for graduating from the Basic Prosecution Course (Regulators) 2024 which will assist in further strengthening compliance through prosecution of tax and customs fraud and evasion.

The 4-week course, conducted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP in Fiji, included preparation of prosecution documents, various types of submissions, case studies and courtroom observation.

The course has equipped our team with an understanding of how to prepare prosecution cases. The team also looks forward to the advance course which will be held later this year.

We wish to thank the Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications (MTCSME) for extending an invitation to us to deliver an interactive training on the Taxpayer Online Service (TPOS) for the Cooperatives.

During the two- day training, our team educated and provided demonstration on a number of tax processes including Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), Value Added Tax (VAT), Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Provisional Tax (PT), and Tax Compliance to the participants.

Cooperatives in Fiji operate in different sectors and are closely linked with economic and social development of the nation.

The representatives used the training to gain insights into the tax processes as well as better understand FRCS’s online systems.

Our Education team continues to conduct similar training for all taxpayers.

Our team were pleased to brief the New Zealand Prime Minister, RT Hon. Christopher Luxon on their work at the Fiji Detector Dog Unit (FDDU) during Mr. Luxon’s visit to FDDU this afternoon.

Impressed by the excellent capability of FDDU and the dedication of the handlers, Mr. Luxon stated that the NZ Government will continue to support the FDDU as best as it can.

FDDU is a joint initiative of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) with the Fiji Police, the New Zealand Customs and the New Zealand Police to strengthen Fiji’s border security, by countering transnational organised crime.  The Unit has seen several significant successes in detection and seizures of prohibited goods including illicit drugs, contraband and currency.

We thank the New Zealand Government for the supporting the fantastic dog search capability in Fiji.

Recently, we held a forum for the registered tax agents in the Western Division as part of our continuous efforts to actively engage with them.

Tax agents play a vital role in Fiji’s tax system. While welcoming them to the forum, our CEO, Mr. Udit Singh stated that FRCS actively seeks to grow a trusted partnership with our customers and partners including the tax agents. 

“FRCS has made a commitment to maintain its focus on being a customer centric organization. Central to this is our commitment to listen, gather feedback, implement enhanced business processes not only focused on improving customer experience but also reducing the cost of doing business,” Mr. Singh said.

“From our perspective, we strive to make it easy for all our taxpayers to actively participate in the tax system and pay their fair share of taxes. Tax agents play a vital role in ensuring that your clients have the intrinsic motivation to pay their fair share of taxes. This is in the sense of advising the clients to be honest in preparing their financial statements and lodgment of their returns.”

During the forum, our team also emphasized on the compliance requirements in accordance with the Tax Agent’s Code of Conduct 2018 and updated on the enhancements made on the Taxpayer Online Service (TPOS) processes.

The forum ended with a networking session between the tax agents and our team.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) is conducting a capacity building workshop on Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme for FRCS staff.

The AEO Programme is designed for ‘trusted traders’ who are able to demonstrate consistent quality, compliance and trustworthiness in their supply chain. Under this programme the ‘trusted traders’ are accorded benefits by the Customs administrations to assist in the movement of international cargo.

FRCS CEO, Mr. Udit Singh stated that through the AEO programme, Customs can rely on its partners in the trade community to evaluate and address threats to their own supply chain.

“The risk confronting Customs is reduced. Therefore, companies that demonstrate a verifiable willingness to enhance supply chain security will benefit. Minimising risk in this way helps Customs in performing their security functions, and in facilitating legitimate trade,” Mr. Singh said.

 Fiji currently has seven AEOs and we wish to increase this number. This will not only benefit the business community but also enable us to secure a bigger portion of the supply chain and facilitate greater volume of cargo.

Our CEO also expressed gratitude to ABF and the Australian Government for their continuous support to FRCS.

ABF’s Counsellor, Pacific (Offshore) Network, Superintendent Uriah Turner said over the past year, the ABF has been increasingly working with FRCS on trade related support.

“AEOs are important to enable Customs administrations to effectively work with industry. Established programs can reduce the red tape for trusted traders at the border, and expedite the flow of cargo, which means faster access to market. It is good for the economy and financial health of our countries,” Superintendent Turner stated.

He also encouraged all participants to actively contribute and share ideas to maximise learning. For more information of the Fiji AEO Programme, please click on this link https://frcs.org.fj/our-services/gold-card-services/fiji-authorised-economic-operator-aeo-programme/.