Dear Editor,

Re: Church tax issues

Reverend Vavatau and C.C.C.S. Church are the last people in Samoa to be giving advice on controlling spending. 

Have a look at the mirror Rev. Vavatau and the E.F.K.S. and you will find the huge cost overruns on the Fale Iupeli church ballooning out from what was supposed to be $2 million to having to get a $15 million loan from the people of Samoa (via the N.P.F.) to meet the overblown costs of the church. 

Why was the church needing to be rebuilt in the first place? 

One could argue it was a vanity project to show off to the world with the other churches in Samoa having completed similar huge church buildings at Mulivai and Faleula.

There is also the John Williams building which still has no real plan and sucking up the E.F.K.S. parishioners money every year when the committees request another million tala to complete the work which seems to start again and then stop again and then stalled and then up in the air.

You can try and pass the buck and make excuses and say that there was some other leaders there before you who did those stuff-ups, but you are now the General Secretary and you speak on behalf of the church. 

So own your church’s own over-spending issues before you start giving advice to the government or anyone else.

Petelo Suaniu