Briefs

Apia-

Businesses in Samoa with $52,000 (SUS 17,726) gross or less in sales each year will not be eligible to pay the Value Added Goods and Services Tax any more.

Government is prompting the change because Inland Revenue is collecting too little VAGST from small businesses. In making the announcement in mid-April, government spokesperson, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said focusing on big ger companies and businesses is better use of Inland Revenue time. He said the law will be changed to bring this into effect when parliament assembles in late May.

Honiara -

Solomon Islands will no longer have to spend millions of dollars on trade and investment promotions overseas.

Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Tourism Moses Mose said this as Solomon Islands launched a Web site on the Internet for the promotion of business opportuni ties available in the country to the world.

Mose says not only is the internet promo tion project more cost-effective but it also increases accessibility to the millions of internet viewers world-wide. The several hundred thousand dollars spent by the

Solomon Islands government each year on trade promotions is now expected to be reduced drastically with only about SUS 17,000 expenses for the internet pro motion costs.

Nuku'alofa -

Tonga’s major wholesaler, the Tonga Cooperative Federation (TCFO) is under going a major supermarket and general merchandise project in downtown Nuku’alofa, worth more than $1 million pa’anga ($U5658,000). The first phase involves a supermarket outlet and rental business offices on the ground and first floor respectively, worth about 250,000 pa’anga (SUS 165,000), Radio Tonga reported. Another project involving the general merchandise shop, which would cost the Cooperative Federation 700,000 pa’anga ($U5461,000), will begin upon completion of the first phase in June.

Nuku'alofa -

Two squash pumpkin exporters in Tonga have named a price level for the current season. Squash Export Company Limited and Touliki Trading Enterprises Limited have announced a two-tier price tag while efforts are still being made for a

higher price. Radio Tonga reported. This is the first time ever that any exporter has been able to guarantee a price before the planting period begins. Spokesperson for the two companies, Dr Feleti Sevele says 50 per cent of the growers squash will be fixed at 55 seniti (US 36 cents) a kilogram or 550 pa’anga (SUS 363) a tonne.

The price for the remaining half will range from a guaranteed minimum of 35 seniti (US 23 cents) or 350 pa’anga(sUS23o) a tonne to a maximum of 85 seniti (US 56 cents) or 850 pa’anga (SUSSS9) a tonne. The final price will be dependent on the market conditions at the time of shipment.

Pago Pago -

A plane load of millennium celebrators from Austria will witness the first light of day in the Year 2000 in Fiji and then cross the dateline to repeat the experience in Samoa. According to Austria’s ambassador to the United States, Dr Helmet Tuark, the Millennium South Pacific tour was being organised by Austrian companies and about 300 tourists have been booked.

Dr Tuark who was in American Samoa in April says the South Pacific is a new choice for Austrian holiday-makers who

usually travel to the Caribbean states.

American Samoa is not on the itinerary but during Dr Tuark’s visit there’s been some

arm twisting to get the territory on it.

Lieutenant governor Togiola Tulafono is urging that the Austrian tourists make a stopover in Pago Pago after Samoa. Dr Tuark has assured that they will try to con vince the tour organisers that a visit to American Samoa will be worth their while.

Port Moresry -

The United Nations will despatch a five-member observer mission to Bougainville to monitor, supervise and oversee the current peace process on the island. The observer mission is being sent at the request of the Papua New guinea government, the National reported.

It will become part of the Peace Monitoring Group PMG, but with a differ ent role. The PMG will replace the current Truce Monitoring Group TMG, whose term expired on April 30 after the perma nent cease-fire took effect.

PNG Foreign Minister Roy Yaki said the UN general secretary’s acceptance of

PNG’s request to send the observer mis sion was an endorsement of the Lincoln Agreement.

Tarawa -

An evaluation and problem analysis report on Kiribati’s telecommunication upgrading on the outer islands, funded by the European Union from 1980-1996 has been presented to the government.

National Authorising Officer Kianteata Teabo says the 15-year project prepared by Tele Denmark, covered the Lome 1 to 3 fundings which amounted to SAIS million

(SUS 9 million), Radio Kiribati reported.

Teabo says the government will scruti nise the report before commenting on it.

Meanwhile Kiribati has also prepared another five year national indicative pro gram involving the second financial proto col of Lome 4 fundings that commence from 1996 to 2000.

The programme is again focused on telecommunication. ■