Ministry of Customs and Revenue

Chief Executive Officer Matafeo Avalisa Viali-Fautua'alii said the ministry is aware that confidential waste documents containing various taxpayers’ information have been widely publicized on social media forum mainly the Facebook, since Saturday, 12 June or Sunday, 13 June 2021.

According to Matafeo, the documents were used by officers during their reviews, amendments, reconciling and testings, reassessment and drafting works and therefore were not required to be filed as records but are stored in their  ‘confidential waste bins’.

The Chamber's chief executive said the system would be an onerous burden on businesses.

With businesses in Samoa struggling amid the pandemic, the Chamber's Lemauga Hobart Va'ai said it was good the launch of the tax invoice monitoring system had been delayed.

The system required retailers to buy electronic point of sale devices to print tax invoices for every purchase.

Its purpose was to ensure retailers comply with their tax obligations.