As Checkpoint's Nita Blake-Persen reports, you might be surprised how many products in your pantry are made by companies which don't have to pay tax. Continue read

The Minister for Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, said his ministry estimated more than 250 ministers of the church owed $US2500 each in unpaid tax for the first six months of the year.

"As of last week, we have given all the banks a list of names of the church ministers whose personal accounts will be affected by this seizure," said Tialavea.

He said if the ministers don't have any money, the government will seize their cars and lands, whatever assets they own, which have a market value.

"We will take and again, this is done under the authority of the law."

Tialavea said the law was passed in January 2018 and all the church denominations complied, except the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS).

"Well, the law applies to everyone. The law does not wait until it is accepted or not.

"We have given church ministers six months and those who continue to defy the law will face the consequences."

Workers making up to $US5900 dollars or 15,000 talas do not pay tax under reforms announced late last year.

Church ministers are included in this exemption.

But "Unless you file your taxes, we cannot determine which one makes less than the threshold," the revenue minister said.

"However, once the church ministers have filed their taxes and it's less, we will refund them."

The chairman of the Samoan Bankers Association, Tu'u'u Amaramo Sialaoa, said the banks are caught in the middle between the Ministry of Revenue and the customers.

"However, the law is the law and obviously we need to comply with the law," he said.

Source

• sobserver.ws
• radionz.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: samoaobserver.ws

That's what Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sa'ilele Malielegaoi said, in response to the General Secretary in the ongoing tax dispute between the Government and the EFKS.

Fa'afafine are people who identify themselves as a third-gender in Samoa, American Samoa and the Samoan diaspora.

Tuilaepa dismissed claims by Vavatau that the Government's law to tax the alofa (gift/offering) received by church ministers is part of a colonial mindset.

It is an accusation the Human Rights Protection Party Government is finding hard to shake.

The Prime Minister laughed and said the word "kolone" (colonial) in Samoan means you are being dominated by another person.

"That is what a fa'afafine would always say," Tuilaepa said.

"That man is my kolone and, who knows, maybe the General Secretary has a fa'afafine side.

"If he does have a fa'afafine side, he should come and join my association (Samoa Fa'afafine Association) where I am the patron.

"I am a fatherly figure to the fa'afafine of Samoa."

Tuilaepa made these remarks on his weekly media programme.

He said Vavatau should leave politics to the politicians.

"He should focus on reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and not get into issues he lacks knowledge of" Tuilaepa said.

Fa'afafine are Samoan biological males who behave in a range of feminine-gendered ways.

They have been an integrated part of Samoan communities for centuries.

The word translates as ‘in the manner of a woman.'

They are assigned male at birth and explicitly embody both masculine and feminine gender traits fashioned in a way unique to the Polynesian cultures.

A considerable dispute exists about the causation and nature of this "third gender identity."

Their behaviour typically ranges from extravagantly feminine to conventionally masculine.

Source

• samoaobserver.ws
• en.wikipedia.org
• teara.govt.nz
• Image: samoaobserver.ws

Reverend Vavatau Taufao says taxing church ministers is just the first step.

"If this colonial mindset is allowed to continue, when will it reach the matai (high chiefs), taulelea (untitled men) … but that's my view. I'm very disappointed."

Vavatau made the comment in response to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi's use of old issues of the government-run Savali newspaper to show that church ministers paid taxes when Samoa was governed by Germany.

"These Savali issues are from 1906," Vavatau said in a special programme aired on church-run television station EFKS TV.

"Listen to the words: Ia lafo tupe a matai ma faifeau lotu, ia tofu ma le 12 maka, a'o taulelea, ia tofu ma le tai 8 maka."

[In English: Matai and church ministers were to pay twelve deutschmarks, the untitled men were to pay eight deutschmarks.]

Vavatau went on to say the church has a deeper concern, one that underlies the tax question - the reference to the pastor being an employee.

He said the EFKS membership can never belittle their pastors like that because they value their covenant relationship.

"If the Pastor is the employee, his only employer is God. They are workers for God.

"So unless the Government want to retrieve the tax from God, then they can go ahead and do that themselves."

The Minister of Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, has warned that all church Ministers have until 31 July 2018 to comply or face the consequences.

Source

• sobserver.ws
• sobserver.ws
• Image: 123rf.com

The Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS) General Secretary, Vavatau Taufao, said the changed section should never have been a part of the law.

Taufao said the Prime Minister and government officials also got big handouts from similar events and they were not taxed for them.

Last week the CCCS had a meeting with prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi to clarify its position and to propose alternative measures.

On Monday the Samoa Observer had reported that Tuilaepa refused to answer questions about the meeting.

Asked whether Cabinet has reached a decision regarding the elders' visit, and if they had responded to a letter in which the Government had been asked to reconsider the taxing of Church Ministers' alofa, Tuilaepa declined to comment.

"Don't ask me about that," he told the media.

"Leave the pastors alone - until they want to pay their taxes, that is none of your business."

"See how disrespectful you are, can't you see I don't want to talk about it and yet you are still asking?"

Tuilaepa said that of the thirty-five different Christian denominations in Samoa, 34 had not said anything.

And he added that those 34 denominations represented 75 percent of the population.

Earlier, Taufao, in referring to other church denominations who support the new taxes, said his congregation is a democracy and therefore the majority rules.

"It's like anything else - there are some people who support the laws if it's out of their respect for the Government, but the vast majority of church (sic), 98 percent or 99 percent support our congregation's position to stand firm on this taxing alofa issue."

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• sobserver.ws
• Image: samoaobserver.ws

The General Assembly (Fonotele) of the church has rejected outright the government's new law which imposes taxes on all church ministers.

One speaker at the Fonotele has gone so far as to predict that Government's decision to tax the head of state and church ministers is the beginning of the "downfall" of the 30-year rule of the Human Rights Protection Party.

The EFKS is the biggest and most influential denomination in the country.

The church's main point of contention is that what ministers receive from their congregations should not be taxable because they are voluntary donations.

Since the law to tax the head of state and church ministers became effective in January, the EFKS had refused to obey.

They said they would wait until their Fonotele this year to discuss the matter.

That Fonotele was held last week.

There was some support for the law but the final decision was to retain the opposition to the taxes.

The EFKS says rather than paying taxes it would prefer to make voluntary donations to the government.

The church executive will be meeting with the government this week to discuss this possibility.

The church women's group already makes annual donations to the health sector.

While the Fonotele was in progress, the prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi issued a clear warning.

"You will answer individually to the law," he said. "The law does not target the Church, rather it targets the church ministers individually."

"So what is Tuilaepa saying?" asked Mata'afa Keni Lesa in the Samoa Observer.

"That all members of the church who discussed and supported the rejection of the tax law should be charged and hauled to jail? Thousands of them too? What a scenario that would be."

The Ministry for Revenue placed notices in last Tuesday's newspapers thanking those ministers who have already registered with the tax office.

The notice also warns that the end of next month is the last day for registrations before the Ministry starts implementing other sections of the new law, including penalties.

Source

• sobserver.ws
• talamua.com
• sobserver.ws
• radionz.co.nz
• sobserver.ws
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: sobserver.ws

Documents leaked to the Samoa Observer show that the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS) will not observe a law requiring all church ministers to pay income tax.

According to the minutes of their meeting on 14 March 2018, the church will agree only after a discussion at their annual Malua conference this month.

The Prime Minister said unless it is officially announced by the church, he will not respond in case the report by the Samoa Observer is "inaccurate".

He reiterated the law targets the church ministers.

"It is directed to the church ministers meaning the hammer will fall on the head of the nail."

"That is why it is important to know that if the elders of the church try to interfere, we look back to the law which indicates that is being a party to a crime."

Minister of Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt declined to comment on what actions the Government will take if the church ministers do not follow the law.

"I'm sorry but no comment from me."

The Samoa Observer asked the Minister if he was scared of the church but he said: "I am not scared, I just don't want to elaborate on the issue."

It was put to the Minister that it is going on four months since the tax became effective.

"Currently the church ministers are undergoing registration, however, taxes should have already been paid as of January 2018," said Tialavea.

"The question as to how many church ministers who have not paid or have paid, I cannot say because I don't know."

Source

• samoaobserver.ws
• Image: pacificislandtimes.com

The petition requests: "That the House of Representatives pass legislation to tax all religious institutions."

The reason for the petition is: "Destiny Church and similar evangelical institutions are having a direct and negative impact on the vulnerable population.

Many followers are pressured to send more money to the church instead of feeding their children or paying bills. Income is often seen being spent on extravagance."

The petition is in the name of Kieran McKewen. It closes on 30 June. So far about 600 people have signed the petition.

On March 7 Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Peeni Henare announced that a comprehensive . review of the Charities Act 2005 is underway.

Source

parliament.nz.

tvnz.co.nz

tvnz.co.nz

Image: altarandthrone.com

Church ministers did not mince words when they expressed anger and disappointment at the Samoan government's decision to tax their incomes - and gratuities - starting on 1 January 2018.

However, prime minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi is unrepentant over the government's decision to tax the incomes and gratuities for church ministers.

He insists that taxes belong to the government and therefore church ministers should pay. That was his response to the latest wave of negative comments about the tax scheme targeting churches.

The seminar was held at Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi Building. It was supposed to be a platform for church ministers and government officials of the Ministry of Revenue to interact and raise issues associated with the taxing of pastors.

Several church ministers said the government had underestimated the impact of what they had done, not just on the church but on all members of the public.

Accepting the fact that they soon would be paying taxes, Reverend Siaosi Samuelu, of the Catholic Church at Salua Manono, urged the government to use tax monies wisely.

"There are countless families in Upolu especially at Aleipata who don't have access to water and electricity," he said. "Use those monies to help those families. Use it wisely please but don't abuse and waste them."

Ministry of Revenue officials said they would take note of the concerns expressed.

They also revealed that a form would be given to churches for pastors or church secretaries to indicate how much money a pastor receives. This form should then be submitted to the Ministry of Revenue with the payment of the tax.

One church minister took exception to this proposal, saying "It's not our duty to bring this form to your office after every fortnight."

Source

• Samoa Observer
• Samoa Observer
• Image: The Monastery

He has discovered that the Bill legalising the taxing of church ministers is not limited to the "alofa" or contributions made by members.

"I am sad because we were not informed about this during the public meetings."

"During the consultations, all the Ministry of Revenue went after was the alofa but, to my surprise, someone came across the new amendment and pointed it out to me.

"Why were the Minister of Revenue Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, and his Associate Minister So'oalo Mene, not honest from the beginning about this hidden amendment?

"So aside from the alofa, they now want to tax us on our other incomes that we receive when conducting service prayers for functions, weddings and funerals," said the furious Church Minister.

The pastor said the unfairness of the decision by the government was keeping them in the dark about taxing all income they receive from their roles as church ministers.

"All right, that's fine, but I think the government should also look at taxing the cash envelopes the Cabinet Ministers receive from any event they attend.

"It is only fair that, if they desperately need money as indicated by their measures put in place to obtain more funding, they too should also be taxed when they receive their cash envelopes."

Source

• Samoa Observer
• Image: looppacificassets.s3.amazonaws.com

Companies like Sanitarium are often accused of not paying their fair share of tax because they're owned by charitable organisations or churches, which are meant to use the profits for charitable purposes. Continue reading

At its annual conference last week a resolution was passed to present a letter to the government outlining the church's objection.

The rejection of the government's plan was widely supported by the Church's membership.

"This is not a type of local government, I mean this is a church," church member Tautolo Masele told the Sunday Samoan.

He said it would mean a double tax. "I mean we are not only paying taxes to the government through other ways and now we will all be taxed again through the faifeau."

The Minister of Revenue, Ti'alavea Tionisio Hunt says the government is in the process of reviewing the law to make sure every one pays taxes.

He said the review includes the existing law which allows church Ministers not to pay tax on their incomes.

In March, when the proposal was first aired, the Chairman of the Samoa National Council of Churches, Deacon Kasiano Le'aupepe, cautioned the government over its plan.

He said taxing ministers of religion was sensitive matter because way churches were funded differed from church to church.

Leaupepe said for that reason the National Council of Churches did not have an official opinion on the proposal.

He said each church would have to make its own response.

Source

• sobserver.ws
• Image: altarandthrone.com

Samoa's National Council of Churches does not have an official opinion on the plan by the Ministry of Revenue to tax pastors and clergy.

"We will leave it to leaders of each Church in Samoa to come up with their own ideas in relation to this and then present it to the Ministry for their report to Parliament," The Chairman of the Samoa National Council of Churches, Deacon Kasiano Le'aupepe, a Catholic, told the Samoa Observer.

"Taxing churches is a sensitive matter because it is not the same for all the churches in Samoa." he said

He thinks the government will have to consider the matter very carefully.

Kasiano pointed out that the scheme presently proposed by the government targets the money given to faifeau on Sunday (alofa/peleti).

"To me, it seems like the Church ministers for the E.F.K.S (Congregational Christian Church of Samoa) and Methodist are the ones who will have to pay."

I say this because for us in the Catholic Church, we will definitely not be paying tax because we don't get as much as my brothers from the Methodist and E.F.K.S church."

"We also have our own system of paying those who are in charge of conducting services in our church. I think the same goes for other churches aside from the Methodist and E.F.K.S.

"And that's what I mean that the Ministry should look at this very carefully before they make their final report.

Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, has supported the decision by the Minister of Revenue to review all existing laws on income tax.

Source

• samoaobserver.ws
• sobserver.ws
• Image: themonastery.org

"We are now in the process of carrying out consultations with churches," Samoa's Minister of Revenue, Ti'alavea Tionisio Hunt says.

"We already had a meeting with the Executive of the Samoa National Council of Churches where we discussed the issue,"

He said he understood pastors do volunteering work and give out money and food for those in need.

"But we (Member of Parliaments) are also doing the same. We also give out money to develop our districts and help those who need help. The difference is that we pay tax and they don't."

"The proposed changes targets the money church ministers receive from the congregation every two weeks (alofa/peleti)."

"We will not touch other contributions made by the church. We believe those other contributions are for the development of the churches."

"This will also exclude the money they get from funerals, weddings, and other things."

The Minister said a form would be provided by the Ministry for every church minister in Samoa.

"They will write down how much they get and we will calculate the amount of tax they have to pay depending on how much they receive."

"It's just going to be just like other workers in Samoa. You have to pay as you earn."(P.A.Y.E)."

Ti'alavea said it was not the Ministry's intention to offend members of the clergy.

"We don't belittle their commitment and the performance of their roles in our country but we just think it is only right for them to pay tax as everyone else."

"If God wants it to happen, it will happen. If not, then it will not happen."

Ti'alavea said they are also looking at businesses run by churches in Samoa.

"We are revisiting the existing law so they can all be included."

Source

• sobserver.ws
• sobserver.ws
• Image. revdw 1.files.wordpres.com

But Tamaki's wife has tweeted, her husband will receive a tax return to the value of one third of every donation over $5.

Rainbow Youth supporters were encouraged to make the donations in Tamaki's name, using Destiny Church's office email address, to get back at him for things he said in a sermon Sunday before last.

In the sermon, given less that 24 hours before a massive 7.8 earthquake struck central New Zealand, Tamaki blamed gay people for causing natural disasters including earthquakes.

But as Tamaki's wife has tweeted that her husband will receive a tax return to the value of one third of every donation over $5

"Just letting u knw. if u do this. Brian will get a 3rd of that money back. in tax return. so go ahead. make a donation towards us. Thk u"

An online petition calling on the prime minister John Key to strip Destiny Church of its tax free status has been signed my more than 120,000 people.

Earlier prime minister John Key labelled Tamaki's remarks "ridiculous".

"The facts of life are New Zealand is a seismically prone country, with a number of very well identified fault lines," Key told RadioLive.

"It's nothing to do with people's sexuality. I mean, it's just madness."

Attorney General Chris Finlayson, who is gay, said "I think he needs a bit of counselling, frankly. He's a sick puppy."

Internal Affairs Minister, the United Future Peter Dunne tweeted:

"I do not favour taxing genuine churches & real charities, but as Destiny is obviously neither it should pay taxes like every other business"

As Internal Affairs Minister, Dunn oversees the registration of charities. But a spokesman for Dunne's office said removing the church's tax-exemption status wasn't within his power.

He told the Herald deregistering a charity was a lengthy process and if the petition went before Parliament a select committee would make a recommendation before referring the issue to Charities Services.

The Charities Services would then conduct a review determine whether the organisation fulfilled the criteria, the spokesman said.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: gaynz.com

The deal could net Asklepion Pharmaceuticals - reportedly controlled by Sanitarium's shareholder, the Seventh day Adventist Church - more than $100 million over the next few years, plus royalties. Continue reading

Although Catholic clergy will not be affected by the change because they are not paid, a Catholic Church spokeswoman said the church was supporting the other denominations.

The church leaders will be asking Mr Dunne to instruct the IRD to do "further work" on the issue because it would change the way churches had paid taxes on accommodation provided to clergy for the past 56 years.

Dunne has confirmed Inland Revenue had outlined its view on the tax treatment of employer-provided accommodation last year and religious organisations fitted into that.

Source

• The Southland Times
• Image: RogerWendell.com