18 Mar 2004

Candidate in American Samoa claims taxes too high

1:13 pm on 18 March 2004

A candidate for governor in American Samoa has accused the current administration of overtaxing residents and he says when elected to office he will roll back the minimum income tax rate.

If elected, Afoa Moenga Lutu, says he intends to immediately provide tax relief to all hard working families, especially the low-income earners, by returning the local minimum income tax to 2 percent.

The minimum was increased to 4 percent about three years ago, because at the time the government was suffering from a severe financial crisis.

Afoa says families in American Samoa have long suffered because of the government's tax policies, which resulted in the steady rise of tax burdens in recent years.