Interim Finance Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry has today stressed that no companies will receive special favors when they want duty concessions or price increases for the products they sell.
Chaudhry has revealed that he keeps getting calls from Flour Mills of Fiji Limited officials allegedly asking him to fast-track certain price increase applications and it is now becoming a major concern for him.
While responding to the comments by FMF Chairman, Hari Punja that the Interim Finance Minister is not responding to his calls and letters, Chaudhry said Punja should not try to bulldoze his way through.
Although FMF Chairman, Hari Punja admits that he has been making at least two calls a day to Chaudhry, he said it is to ensure that the increase in flour price is not granted months after the increase in wheat prices.
Meanwhile we have received information that Interim Prime Minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama met with Punja earlier today.
It is not known whether Chaudhry was also at the meeting.
While leaving the PM's office, Hari Punja only told our reporter that he had a private meeting with Commodore Bainimarama. He also said that he told Bainimarama that his company was running on a loss due to the import duty changes.
Stay with us as we will have more on this issue in the next hour.
