THE number of new taxpayers that registered last year declined by an estimated 44 per cent, reflecting low levels of capacity utilisation, the Reserve Bank of Fiji said.
The end of the compulsory registration period in August last year was also a contributing factor to the decline, the bank said in its 2011 annual report.
There was weak recruitment intention which was evident in the 11.4 per cent contraction in the number of vacant positions advertised last year, the bank said.
The contraction, according to the bank, pointed to persistent soft employment prospects and the lack of steady broad based recovery in business activity, the RBF report said.
On the other hand, lending by commercial banks grew by an annual 8.1 per cent, the bank said.