Government prefers progress and economic opportunity for landowners which is why it is focused on assisting them to use their assets to improve their lives, livelihoods and become more prosperous, says Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
“Here’s a problem the Bill fixes, even though someone may have a registered lease on iTaukei land, which means that iTaukei Land Trust Board obtains consent from the landowning unit, and the premium and these terms and conditions have not been met, they still have an uphill struggle with bureaucracy to carry out development on that land, even if it clearly falls within the terms and conditions of the lease,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“So you lease three acres of iTaukei land for your retirement home, but to build your home on that leased land, you want to connect the land to water, water supply, or get a better financial to construct a bigger home, doing so does not violate the terms of your lease, still, you have to get approval from the TLTB.
“You want to get your electricity to the land, you have to get approval from the TLTB and these approvals can take months or even years, depending on where the land is and which officer you are dealing with.
“So we propose an amendment to the iTaukei Land Act that makes a simple administrative change, to remove the tedious approval process for development on leased land, cutting this red tape makes a dedicated leased land more attractive to potential lessees.
“That is what this amendment does, it helps generate more income.”
