Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Samoa's lawmakers have passed the 2025/2026 budget totalling more than NZ$562 million (almost one billion Samoan tala) following days of deliberations.
The Samoa Observer reported it includes the increased district grants, which are now just over NZ$1m (WST$1.8m) per district; increased payment of social benefits, including pension and disability payments; and the imposition of a waste levy that comes into effect from 1 January next year.
It comes within a 30-day state of emergency put in place after the budget was not passed earlier in the year, contributing to the fall of Fiame Naomi Mata'afa's government.
The state of emergency was declared on 26 September due to a financial crisis triggered by the failure to pass an Appropriation Bill, under Fiame's administration.
Photo: RNZI / Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
In May, after months of political instability and two motions of no confidence, Fiame said she would call for the dissolution of parliament if Cabinet did not support her government's budget.
MPs from both the opposition Human Rights Protection Party and Fiame's former FAST party joined forces to defeat the budget, and Fiame went to the Head of State and advised him to dissolve parliament.
The Emergency Budget, effective from 30 September to 29 October, allowed government to access funds from the Treasury to ensure government operations continued.
The Ministry of Finance was to work on producing the main budget during those 30 days.
