Plastic bag levy only applies to Point of Sale retailers - Consumer Council

The Consumer Council of Fiji is calling on traders and shop owners to engage in ethical business practices as the application of the plastic bag levy comes into effect this month.

The Council raised this issue after complaints were raised that a restaurant in Suva was charging 10 cents for a plastic bag.

They have highlighted that shops and traders who use cash register should not be charging this levy as yet since it may not be reflected in the consumer receipt and trader transaction.

The Council says that the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service may not be able to keep track of the incoming levy from the cash registers and the money may be pocketed by the traders.

It adds that when a transaction is processed at a retail store, the Point of Sale system records the transaction automatically and does real‑time tracking of the information relating to the items purchased by the consumer.