Figures available publicly

Dear Editor,

Re: Highest paid govt. officials 

To add further to the article, the “documents obtained” are all available to the public on the Ministry of Finance website www.mof.gov.ws. Not everyone in Samoa has the internet though, so it is a good thing for the national newspaper to write an article about it.

These documents (Approved Budget Estimates) released every year on Budget day show the statements of payments and receipts of every single ministry in the government approved and passed by parliament.

It is a very educational document and I like to look at it every year for the purposes of my own information.

It also shows the amount of aid from donor countries and where that aid is spent (pages XII and XIII in the 2016-2017 Budget Estimates).

I note the Opposition Leader was paid over $108,000 (including allowances) and the Deputy Opposition Leader over $92,000 in the last Financial Year but there being no more Opposition Leader, as there is no official opposition, there is no more payments to the “Leader of the Opposition”. The 3 opposition MPs simply receive the normal MP’s salary.

I also note all the debt servicing payments. This is very good information for those who continue to take issue with the amount of debt our government is paying. This is set out very clearly in pages XXI-XXVII in the 2016-2017 budget statements.

For Maua Faleauto’s information, SIFA’s revenue is also shown in the statements. He will no doubt still find a conspiracy in the amounts shown but it is impossible to argue with conspiracy theorists at the best of times.

 

PS Jeffrey 

Samoa Observer

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