Officials from FIRCA and the Fair Trading Department are expected to monitor the sale of all bottled water already in the market to ensure that retailers do not take advantage of the impasse over the new export and excise duty.

FIRCA Acting Manager Customs and Excise, Jalal Ud Dean has stressed that the 20 cents per litre export duty and 20 cents per litre excise duty on bottled water sold locally, does not apply to stocks already in the market.

He said the stock take of all bottled water held in stock by the ten water bottling companies is to also ensure that consumers are not taken advantage of by having to pay the new taxes on the products already cleared.

Meanwhile, FIRCA is now investigating the source of false information that Mineral Waters of Fiji Limited was closing permanently which saw officials seal off the factory on Monday night.