MORE REVENUE : Regional workshop participants sharing in Apia work experiences on better ways to earn more revenue from tax collections.
By Staff Writer
Samoa is one of the countries tipped off by a recent regional workshop on ways to collect better earnings from an expanded base for tax revenues.
Samoa was one of eight island countries included in the Talanoa Revenue Mobilisation 4-day workshop held in Apia from 25-28 February 2025.
Representatives from the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Nauru and Samoa exchange knowledge and experience on the topic.
The workshop learned that customs duties account for a significant portion of Government revenue for Samoa and the stakes are high.
“Samoa, like many Pacific countries, relies on customs duties for revenue,” Mr. Magotaamu Salanoa, the Principal Customs Officer-Trade with Samoa’s Ministry of Customs and Revenue, revealed as the local participant.
Salanoa emphasised the value of working together to share experiences that will help benefit everyone with the work they do.
“The discussions here have been invaluable in helping us identify practical solutions to mitigate revenue losses while exploring new opportunities to diversify our tax base.
“The insights gained from this Talanoa will guide our efforts to strengthen Samoa’s economic resilience,” said Mr. Salanoa.
The workshop featured sessions on key topics such as the role of customs administrations in collecting Value Added Tax (VAT) and Goods and Services Tax (GST), the impact of trade liberalisation on revenue, and strategies for optimising revenue through tax policies.
Understanding the impacts of tax expenditures on revenue collection and good tax administration practice to improve revenue collection were also covered.
Additionally, participants discussed the challenges of cross-border e-commerce, valuation issues, and the need for regional cooperation to address complex revenue mobilisation challenges.
The workshop was organised under the Pacific Agreement On Closer Relations, PACER Plus.