A rise in Tonga's Gross Domestic Product in the coming years will be driven primarily by the reconstruction of Ha'apai, according to the IMF 2014 Article IV consultation report on Tonga, which also recommended a broading of the Consumption Tax base.
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Results for Economy and Trade
Friday 2 May 2014
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Wednesday 9 April 2014
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Geneva, Switzerland
The revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement GPA entered into force on 6 April 2014. The parties to the revised GPA will see gains in market access of an estimated US$80 billion to US$100 billion annually for their businesses. – WTO 7 April 2014.

Thursday 3 April 2014
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Tongan economy is expected to rebound during the 2014 Financial Year, according to the Asian Development Bank Economic Outlook for 2014.

Friday 21 March 2014
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is weeding out corruption from its development projects, barring any firm or individual it believes is cheating development projects.

Thursday 27 February 2014
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Cyclone Ian could be a blessing in disguise for Tonga's struggling economy, with the Reserve Bank now predicting an economic stimulation from the inflow of new development assistance.

Sunday 16 February 2014
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Geneva, Switzerland
An important review of Tonga's trade policy by the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland, from February 11-13, found that the Pacific island nation faces a backlog of reforms that are required to modernize and streamline its legal and regulatory frameworks for economic development. Tonga's imports continue to outstrip its exports by a factor of at least 10:1 annually and over 50% of its imports are for fuel and food.

Friday 6 December 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's banks remain flush with funds, and are being urged to lend more to help stimulate an economy that looks as if it has stalled this year, as all key industries in Tonga except for construction recorded falls in lending, according to figures released today.

Thursday 5 December 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
During its first year of operation Tonga's new National Retirement Benefits Fund collected over $6.15 million pa‘anga from its membership of 4,304 employees and 308 employers, and may expect to double its membership in the future as more businesses join the statutory fund, whose administration has been supported by donor funding.

Tuesday 3 December 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The rescheduling of Tonga's T$119 million loan from China for the reconstruction of Nuku'alofa has not been decided, according to Xu Zhiguang, the first Secretary of the Chinese Embassy, Nuku'alofa this afternoon, December 3.

Thursday 28 November 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The World Bank has announced that it has setup a US$5 million support operation to aid Tonga’s recovering economy.

Tuesday 5 November 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga has been ranked among the Pacific region's top performers for implementing business reforms over the last year, according to a World Bank Group annual report, however, the reason for the ranking is being questioned by those who look at business performance in Tonga.

Thursday 17 October 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Cheaper fuel prices have been announced for mid-October to mid-November. The prices of Petrol, Kerosene and Diesel have all decreased compared to the prices approved for the last monthly period mid-September to mid-October.

Saturday 5 October 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Tongan economy will grow by only 0.3% in 2014, according to the Asian Development Bank Outlook ADO Update 2013 that was published this week. Tonga’s economic growth has been on a downward spiral since 2011.

Friday 27 September 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Asian Development Bank ADB is providing a USD$4.5 million grant to finance Tonga's efforts to achieve fiscal stability and to improve its long-term economic growth prospects.

Wednesday 18 September 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
New fuel prices announced for September-October will see a decrease in the price of petrol for the first time in months. Prices for diesel and kerosene, however, continue to rise.

Monday 22 July 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A top priority for Tonga is a reduction in the size of its public service and a reduction of the wage bill to 45%, from the current height of about 75% of the government's annual budget, a new economic report by the Asian Development Bank recommends. It also recommended for government to appoint an Anti-corruption Commissioner.

Monday 1 July 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Although Tonga’s economy continues to be weak, there are some positive indicators, according to a market update on July 1, by the Deputy Governor of Tonga’s National Reserve Bank, Jessie Cocker, who met with senior regional officers of ANZ Bank on June 28.

Tuesday 11 June 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Minister of Finance, Hon. Lisiate 'Akolo has launched Tonga's biggest ever national budget amounting to T$357.6 million for the 2013-14 financial year, and expressed concern over low returns to government from public enterprises.

Wednesday 22 May 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Commonwealth is encouraging the G20 group of the world’s major economies to ensure that it protects and supports the development of smaller economies.

Monday 6 May 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The National Reserve Bank of Tonga is running out of ideas on how to encourage commercial banks to lend more money at a time when the Tongan economy is very weak, the Reserve Bank Governor Siosi Mafi said on Friday May 3 when she presented the Monetary Policy Statement for the end of February.
