17 Jun 2014

Tonga chamber of commerce concerned over government staff costs

9:00 pm on 17 June 2014

There is concern in Tonga that the new budget has allocated too much for staffing in government departments.

The President of the Tonga Chamber of Commerce, Aloma Johansson, says 53 per cent of the budgeted operating expenses are staffing costs.

Ms Johansson says the country needs to become more economically independent, and make itself more attractive to foreign investors, in order to lessen the dependency on foreign aid.

And she says the government needs to work more closely with the private sector to manage spending on its initiatives.

"53 per cent of operating expenditures are staffing costs. Whilst there is a commitment of that level to staffing costs, what it implies is that we then have less available finance to actually perform the functions and the services that the Government is meant to do."

The President of the Tonga Chamber of Commerce, Aloma Johansson.