The Chairman of the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce says it is unfair the government is imposing higher or new taxes to raise revenue.
David Robinson told a forum of business owners that the business community is already overtaxed, and the private sector feels the government should consult them before coming up with new taxes.
Mr Robinson says he is concerned about a lack of communication between the government and private sector, absence of a master plan to guide economic development and proposed revenue measures that target businesses.
But the Lieutenant Governor Faoa Aitofele Sunia says he and Taufete'e John Faumuina do not believe in taxing one sector of the community and will support fair and non discriminatory taxation.
"It's just like anything else. You need money to run government and provide for these services. But the thing to do is to be fair about where to access the money from. And after all the government is your government and it's your money. So when I make sure that, as I said, I mean I keep on repeating myself, make sure that the assessment for revenue to run the government is fairly made."
Faoa Aitofele Sunia.
