Shania Shayal Prasad 
Aerial view of Tavua Town. [File Photo]
Minister for Local Government Maciu Nalumisa is calling for urgent action to address the growing issue of unpaid rates, with millions of dollars currently owed to municipalities across Fiji.
He adds this ongoing challenge is severely affecting local government finances and their ability to deliver essential services.
To tackle the problem, Nalumisa is urging councils to implement more targeted strategies, starting with rate profiling to identify those who are most likely to pay.
“I think it’s very important that they do an analysis, they profile all the ratepayers and look at the ones that they’ll have to target first. Go for the low-hanging fruit, then you move up to the ones that can collect it after maybe those that have been raised for more than one year.”
Nalumisa also highlights the alarming rate of defaulting ratepayers, particularly in urban areas including Suva.
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