Fiji Luxury Items 'Will Be Duty Free'

From a Suva Correspondent

Passengers in cruise liners to the South Pacific want to visit Suva, not to see Fijian villages or watch Fijian entertainment or admire the scenery, but because they want to shop. Mr. D. A. Graham, manager of the Union Steam Ship Co. Ltd. in Fiji, said this at the November meeting of the Fiji Visitors’ Bureau, during a discussion on the sale of goods under the drawback of duty.

Mr. Graham said his company had conducted a survey and had come up with the answer that Suva had a reputation as a shopping port. Thus shipping lines always had to include Suva in their itineraries.

Members of the FVB were in general agreement with Mr. Graham, and decided to continue their pressure on the Government to allow luxury items sought by tourists to be sold duty free. The luxury items envisaged include watches, transistor radios, cameras and photographic

equipment, jewellery, etc.

The Government is not unsympathetic, and is believed to be exerting pressure in Whitehall for approval of the FVB plans. The matter was thoroughly debated by the Legislative Council a few months ago, when it was explained that lifting the duty was not a simple matter.

Apart from protecting the revenue, the question of international agreements was involved.

It is confidently expected that duty-free sales of luxury items will be allowed, but that it will be many months yet before all the problems are ironed out.