Governor’s staff for new fiscal year nearly doubles that of 2021

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Governor’s office proposed budget for financial year 2023 under appropriated fund accounts amounts to $7.48 million — an increase from $4.8 million in the previous fiscal year.

This is confirmed in the proposed budget for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2022.

The budget for the Governor’s office outlines an increase in staffing for the Governor’s office.

In 2021 there were a little over 80 staff members. In 2022, staff increased to 105 and in the proposed financial year of 2023, it increases the count to more than 140 staff members.

According to the proposed budget a total of $3.27 million will go to salaries.

The salaries are as follows: Governor is $120,000; Lt Governor $100,000; Chief of Staff $85,000; Special Assistant to Governor $83,000; Legal Counsel to Governor $80,000; Deputy Chief of Staff $78,000; three Assistance Legal Counsels, one is getting $72,000 the other two receive $70,000 each per annum.

The Governors office Chaplain’s salary is $65,000 same as the Executive Assistant, Protocol Officer, Public Policy Adviser, Executive Assistant to Lt Governor, Financial Manager, Plans and Operations Lead, and Special Assistant to the Executive Assistant and two managers cited in the report.

The total fiscal year 2023 final budget is capped at $693,415,535 reflecting an increase if $140,630,435 or 25 percent above the fiscal year 2022 aggregate budget of $522,785.

The executive summary submitted to the Fono indicates that the government anticipates collecting $77.5 million, of which $18.5 million would be from corporate taxes; $29.4 million from individual taxes and $24.6 million in excise taxes; $3 million from soda and cover taxes at $2 million.

For expenditures, $84,543,000 is for salaries; $3.1 million for materials and supplies, while contractual services is $17 million and $891,500 for travel; $11 million allocated under “others” and $586,500 for equipment.