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"It's mind blowing”, was how prominent Fiji businessman Mahenda Patel described his first impression of the interim Government’s 2009 Budget.
“The new schemes presented by the interim Prime Minister are impressive and I hope that everything goes according to plan and the nation can benefit,” he said.
Patel admits he has yet to go through the entire budget in detail, but whatever he had heard in the budget announcement yesterday was enough to convince him that it would be beneficial for both the economy and investors.
“Under the circumstances the PM has done quite well presenting the budget. I suppose everyone expected the worst when they came in and surprisingly the budget announcement went quite well,” he said.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Fiji National Provident Fund Felix Anthony says the 2009 Budget’s focus on developing the agriculture and fisheries ministries is a positive move.
“These ministries have a lot of potential and it’s good that they have been highlighted in the new budget,” he said.
Anthony stressed that there were a lot of advantages for the investors in the 2009 Budget such as tax free holidays.
“The government has played its part by offering certain incentives to the current and potential investors, now it is up to the investors to make the best use of it and we will have to wait and see where it goes from there,’ he said.
