Tax killing hard-earned long service benefits of Solomon Islanders: Sogavare

BY NED GAGAHE

Minister of Finance and Treasury, Manasseh Sogavare, has expressed concern over the taxation of long service benefits in the Solomon Islands, stating that it is severely impacting the hard-earned income of workers.

In an interview with the Island Sun last week, Sogavare highlighted that taxes are consuming almost 50% of these workers’ income, significantly reducing their earnings.

“You know, I gave them 100% exemption, but applications keep coming. They have asked me to consider this because it is their hard-earned income,” Sogavare said.

He added, “That’s how much I care about the people of this country. People say that I turn a blind eye to the welfare of Solomon Islanders, but that is simply not true.”

Sogavare also took the opportunity to address critics who accuse him and the government of neglecting the welfare of Solomon Islanders. He dismissed these claims as “completely wrong” and described them as politically motivated, accusing certain individuals of pushing agendas aimed at creating instability in the country.

“This is completely wrong, and it’s just devious. These kinds of people have political agendas. I call on such people to come out and think clearly,” he said.

“And not to sell ourselves to political agendas that only cause political instability in this country,” Sogavare concluded.