1. Who we are
This Privacy Policy explains how Alvin Kumar & Associates (referred to in this policy as "we", "us", or "our") handles personal information collected through our website and in the course of providing professional services to our clients.
Alvin Kumar & Associates is a registered firm of tax agents and business advisors with its head office in Nadi and offices in Suva and Lautoka as required. We are committed to protecting your privacy and to handling personal information in accordance with Fiji law, including the Financial Transactions Reporting Act 2004, the Proceeds of Crime Act 1997, and the regulations issued by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) and other Fiji regulators.
2. Information we collect
We collect personal information that you provide to us directly, and information gathered through our website. This may include:
- Contact details — name, email address, telephone number, postal address, company name, and role.
- Know-Your-Customer (KYC) information — identification documents, proof of address, source-of-funds documentation, and beneficial ownership details required under Fiji's anti-money laundering regulations.
- Financial and business information — accounting records, tax returns, payroll data, bank statements, and any other information you supply in the course of an engagement.
- Correspondence — emails, messages, notes of meetings and telephone calls, and enquiries submitted through our website.
- Website forms and chat — the details you enter in our enquiry, free consultation and investor guide forms (name, email, phone or WhatsApp number, country, your plans or your question), and messages you send us on WhatsApp, Viber or WeChat.
- Website information — cookies, IP address, browser type, pages visited, referring URL, and general usage analytics. We use Google Analytics (through Google Site Kit) to understand how visitors use the site. Our website pop-ups also store a small note in your own browser so they remember whether you have closed them, sent a question or downloaded our guide.
3. How we use your information
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- To respond to enquiries submitted through our website, email, or telephone.
- To assess whether we can accept a prospective client (including KYC and anti-money laundering checks).
- To deliver the professional services you have engaged us to perform — including tax, accounting, payroll, company secretarial, and compliance services.
- To lodge filings with FRCS, the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF), the Fiji National University (FNU), the Companies Office of Fiji, and other relevant authorities on your behalf.
- To issue invoices, collect payment, and maintain accurate records of our engagements.
- To comply with our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations (including record-keeping obligations for registered tax agents).
- To improve our website and the quality of our services.
- To send you a guide you have requested, and to contact you once about your enquiry or plans.
4. Disclosure of your information
We do not sell or rent personal information. We may disclose personal information in the limited circumstances set out below:
- To Fiji regulatory authorities — including FRCS, FNPF, FNU, the Companies Office, the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Reserve Bank of Fiji, where required to discharge an engagement or to comply with law.
- To professional advisers — such as legal counsel, auditors, and specialist consultants, where the engagement reasonably requires their involvement and you have been informed.
- To service providers — cloud hosting, email, software and IT providers that support our practice, under confidentiality obligations.
- Where required by law — in response to a valid court order, subpoena, statutory notice, or investigation.
- To the providers that host our website and email and carry our messaging (such as Google, WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat), only so that they can provide those services to us.
5. How we protect your information
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. This includes secured document storage, restricted internal access on a need-to-know basis, encrypted transmission of sensitive data where practical, and secure disposal of records at the end of their retention period.
No method of transmission over the internet is fully secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. Clients are expected to use reasonable care when transmitting sensitive information to us (for example, using secure file-transfer channels where available).
6. Retention of records
We retain client records for the period required under Fiji law, including the record-keeping obligations of the Tax Administration Act and the Companies Act 2015. In general, working papers and client files are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of the engagement. Records may be retained for longer periods where legally required or where a matter remains active.
7. Your rights
You have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Request deletion of information that is no longer required (subject to our legal record-keeping obligations).
- Withdraw consent to the use of your information for optional purposes, such as marketing communications.
- Make a complaint about our handling of your personal information.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details at the end of this policy.
8. Cookies and website analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is used. We may use Google Analytics or similar services to measure site performance. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but certain features of the website may not work correctly. Our website also offers a language selector powered by Google Translate. If you choose a language other than English, the text of the page you are viewing is sent to Google so it can be translated, and a small cookie remembers your chosen language. You can switch back to English at any time from the same selector.
9. Third-party links
Our website may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we recommend reviewing their own privacy policies before providing any personal information.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, Fiji law, or relevant professional standards. The most recent version will always be available on our website, with the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
11. Contact us
If you have any questions, requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact us:
- Alvin Kumar & Associates
- Shop 2T4B, Level 3, RB Patel Jetpoint, Martintar, Nadi, Fiji
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +679 714 2741
