Samoa’s largest religious denomination has told the ruling Faatuatua I Le Atua Samoa ua Tasi government to make good on a campaign promise to repeal a law requiring all church ministers to pay taxes on income.
Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa told media last week that Cabinet had told the Ministry of Revenue to review the law relating to taxes for church ministers.
General Secetary of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, Reverend Vavatau Taufao told the Samoa Observer newspaper that he is hoping that they don’t review the taxation law because the FAST manifesto said “repeal not review or abolish”.
Rev Taufao said he personally believes that this is the very issue that actually drew the majority of voters to F.A.S.T., “because in their manifesto, it says that when they come in, they will just abolish [the law]; just remove it.”
Last week the Chairman of FAST, Laauli Leuatea Schmidt, told voters at a by-election rally that they need a two thirds majority in the House in order to change the church minister tax law.
Opposition leader, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, this week scoffed at the La’auli statement.
“If they really wanted to change it they can repeal the law anytime they want,” said Tuilaepa.
Rev Vavatau told the newspaper that the Government is now back peddling, by ordering a “review” instead of immediately “repealing” the law as they promised.
Tuilaepa said this week if FAST stopped church ministers paying taxes, then they may as well stop all workers and businesses paying taxes altogether.
“Then they can go and find the money to pay for all government expenditures”.
However, in a twist early yesterday, the Ministry of Customs and Revenue issued a public notice advising that the Income Tax Amendment Act 2017 has been put on hold immediately, until public consultations with church organisations on proposed reforms.
It will also allow the ministry time to implement required amendments to abbrogate the law.
