Revenue Minister Judith Collins says she has no plans to crack down on charities running businesses and avoiding tax. 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
Posts Tagged ‘Taxing churches’
Congregational Christian Church rejects tax proposal
Monday, May 29th, 2017
The Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S), the largest christian denomination in Samoa, has rejected a proposal by the government to tax church ministers. 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 Read more
Government need to think hard before asking pastors to pay tax
Thursday, March 30th, 2017
Different churches in Samoa have their own systems for collecting money. So, to be fair, that has to take that into account when asking churches to pay tax. 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 Read more
Samoan government considers making pastors pay tax
Thursday, March 16th, 2017
The Samoan government is considering making church ministers pay tax. “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 Read more
Strange twist occurs in anti Tamaki protest
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2016
An online campaign has been set up asking people to donate to Rainbow Youth using Bishop Brian Tamaki’s name. 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 Read more
Deal could net $100m for Seventh day Adventist’s Sanitarium
Friday, March 6th, 2015Food giant Sanitarium, the tax-exempt manufacturer of Weet-Bix and Marmite, is expected to reap significant financial returns from the sale of a United States-based drug developer’s intellectual property to a Nasdaq-listed pharmaceutical firm. The deal could net Asklepion Pharmaceuticals – reportedly controlled by Sanitarium’s shareholder, the Seventh day Adventist Church – more than $100 million Read more
Church leaders concerned about new accommodation tax regime
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
Church leaders from all denominations will be meeting Revenue Minister Peter Dunne this week to discuss a Government decision to tax clergy on the market rental of the church provided houses they lived in. 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 Read more