Ministers

The church's general secretary, Faulalo Leti, said its General Conference had opted to support the law.

Reverend Leti said the church understands the taxes will be used to develop Samoa, something Methodists support.

He said some Methodist ministers had registered to pay tax before their General Conference made this decision.

Meanwhile, the deadline for registering to pay tax has been extended until the end of the month as pastors from the Congregational Christian Church continue to say they will not pay.

Hezbollah later issued a statement saying it supported peaceful protests against "endemic corruption," calling it a legitimate right. The statement suggested the powerful group was throwing its weight behind the protest movement now calling on the government to resign.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam had called for the emergency meeting after a weekend of clashes between security forces and demonstrators protesting against corruption and poor public services.