Maravi

AZWIM urges subsidising of small-scale miners

COMMENT - Why do small sale miners pay higher tax rates than the big mining houses? Why do they pay 5% revenue tax, and the foreign corporations pay only 3%, where they used to pay 0.6%? Corruption.

AZWIM urges subsidising of small-scale miners
By Fridah Zinyama
Wed 21 Oct. 2009, 15:52 CAT

ASSOCIATION of Zambian Women in Mining (AZWIM) president Namakau Kaingu has urged government to subsidise small-scale miners for them to become viable and successful.

In an interview, Kaingu said the government should subsidise small-scale miners in the country in the manner viable small farmers had been assisted to improve food production.

“Small-scale miners if supported can contribute positively to the country’s economy,” she said.

“So government should also consider subsidising us.”

Kaingu also questioned where government spent the area charges that it collects from the small-scale miners on an annual basis.

“We always pay the area charges annually but we do not see where these funds go,” she said. “In other countries like Mozambique, government has set up a revolving fund which is helping the small-scale mining sector to buy equipment which they are using to do their mining.”

Kaingu wondered why government had neglected the small scale sector in Zambia despite the industry’s potential to positively contribute to the country’s economic growth once supported.

“We operate under harsh conditions and government does not to seem to be willing to help our sector when it collects five per cent mineral royalty from us,” said Kaingu.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MINERS

posted by MrK @ 4:05 PM