Parliament debates bill to repeal Church Ministers’ tax

A bill to repeal the 2017 income tax amendment act requiring church ministers to pay income taxes on income donated by church members, was discussed in the Samoa Parliament on Wednesday.

The bill has been with the Bills Committee since it was introduced late last year.

The amendment by the Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa Ua Tasi government is in keeping with a 2021 General Election promise that is credited with securing the votes of members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS) members’ to cause the upset change of government.

A consultative meeting between the FAST government and all church denominations in Samoa last November confirmed they were all in favor of dumping the tax introduced by the former Human Rights Protection Party government.

The CCCS church ministers were the only ones who boycotted the tax which forced the HRPP government to take some of them to court.

Before the law was enacted church ministers and the Head of State were exempt from paying income taxes.