Shania Shayal Prasad 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad, has defended the government’s fiscal policies, including tax reforms and budget measures, amid criticism from the opposition.
While speaking in parliament, Professor Prasad stresses that the government’s tough fiscal decisions were necessary to tackle the fiscal crisis inherited from the previous administration.
He states that despite the short-term pain these measures may cause, they were vital to stabilizing Fiji’s finances and ensuring the nation’s long-term economic health.
“We had really little option. We faced a fiscal crisis, and if we had not done what we did in terms of our policies, we would have been irresponsible, and the pain and suffering of our people that the opposition is talking about would have been harsher and more difficult.”
Professor Prasad also rejected claims made by the opposition, labeling them misleading.
He states that the opposition’s accusations of “skyrocketing” inflation and the largest deficit since 1992 were factually incorrect.
He also presented data showing that the fiscal deficit for 2023-2024 was projected at 3.4%, and that inflation was at 5.1% in 2023, with a forecasted drop to 1.4% by the end of 2024.
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