FRCS uncovers $400m in unpaid taxes

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Fiji Revenue and Customs Service CEO, Udit Singh. Picture: BALJEET SINGH

THE Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) has issued $400million worth of tax intervention notices after mining electronic invoicing data to detect undeclared income and non-lodgements.

Mining electronic invoicing data by customs is the process of using automated software, data analytics, and machine learning to scan digital invoices for tax evasion, smuggling, and fraud

FRCS chief executive officer Udit Singh told participants of the recent Fiji New Zealand and New Zealand Fiji Business Councils’ 2026 Joint Conference that Fiji remains one of the few nations in the region operating an e-invoicing framework, which tracks real-time trade transactions between commercial entities.

“Recently, we mined this information, and we sent out statements of assistance to the tune of about $400million,” he said.

“This is information of lodgments not being made or taxes not being paid, so, these data repositories are actually providing a lot of information.”

Mr Singh acknowledged that while the digital system has streamlined operations for the majority of compliant entities, it remains “the bane of the life of some others” who fail to declare income accurately.

The data mining initiative forms part of a broader shift toward automated tax risk profiles.

Mr Singh pointed to Australia’s transition to assured assessments where advanced analytics run automated checks to nudge taxpayers when figures do not align as the benchmark for future Pacific tax enforcement.