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DRC's revenue triples after ban on copper concentrates

DRC's revenue triples after ban on copper concentrates
By Sandra Lombe
Tuesday August 28, 2007 [04:00]

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo (DRC) Katanga Province interior minister, Jean-Marie Dikanga Kazadi has said that country's revenue has increased due to the government's decision to restrict the movement of copper concentrates. In an interview, Kazadi said the DRC's revenue had tripled following the ban on the movement of copper concentrates from that country. He said the checkpoints were working well and that considerable progress had been made.

Recently, the DRC restricted the movement of copper concentrates from that country.
DRC Katanga Province governor, Moses Katumbi had said the decision was made in the interests of both his country and Zambia as some people were stealing the minerals and making false declarations at the border.

"Even taxes being paid on check points increased. Before the checkpoint taxes brought in were between US$300,000 to US$400,000. Now since that measure, taxes at checkpoints are between US$1.5 million to US$1.6 million, per month. This month it's almost US$2 million, triple than before," he said.

Kazadi said the DRC government had also introduced a very high fine to discourage people from exporting the copper concentrates.

However, he said, some people still managed to smuggle the concentrates into Zambia due to the porous border between the two countries.
And Kazadi further said the informal miners in DRC were too many and that the government had since advised them to stop mining.

He said there were about 80,000 people on one mine, a situation he described as risky.

"Government stopped them because they had been mining on an area that had already been allocated to economic operators," he said.

However, Kazadi said there was another area that had been allocated for small-scale miners.

On the plight of refugees, Kazadi said the DRC government was trying to ensure the safety and resettlement of refugees to that country.

Labels: DRC, EXPORTS, SMUGGLING

posted by MrK @ 3:16 AM