Tialavea Tionisio Hunt
Tialavea Fea Leniu Tionisio Hunt is a Samoan MP and Cabinet Minister. He represents the electorate of Vaa o Fonoti and is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party.
Hunt was appointed as Minister of Revenue after the 2016 Samoan general election.[1] A cabinet reshuffle in June 2016 saw him gain the prisons and corrections portfolio.[2] In June 2017 he was responsible for a controversial policy to tax church ministers.[3] When churches refused to pay, he threatened to seize their assets.[4] Ministers were subsequently prosecuted for failing to pay tax,[5] and taxes were deducted from bank accounts.[6]
In September 2017 he advocated for the deportation of foreigners convicted of crimes in Samoa.[7] later that year he opposed the repatriation of Samoans convicted in American Samoa.[8] In early 2018 he faced calls to resign after he released a prisoner to attend a matai ceremony.[9][10]
In March 2020 Hunt was given responsibility for the Police as well as his existing Corrections portfolio.[11] In July 2020 he called for judicial corporal punishment for rapists.[12]
References
- "Former Samoa deputy PM left out of cabinet". RNZ. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoa PM reshuffles his cabinet". RNZ. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoa to tax head of state and church ministers". RNZ. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Pay up or assets will be seized - Samoa govt to church ministers". RNZ. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "More Samoa church ministers face charges over tax". RNZ. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoa ministers' tax arrears deducted from back accounts". RNZ. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoa push to deport foreign convicts". RNZ. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoa opposes American Samoa prisoner repatriation". RNZ. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoan prisoner released to attend matai ceremony". RNZ. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Call for Samoa's Minister of Prisons to resign". RNZ. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoa police and prison portfolio now under one Minister". RNZ. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "Samoan minister calls for corporal punishment". RNZ. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.