Zambia Daily Mail
Written by Online Editor
From MWILA NTAMBI in Kitwe
CHAMBER of Mines president Emmanuel Mutati says mines are fulfilling their tax obligations and are paying the treasury what is due to it.
Mr Mutati said the findings of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) on the contribution of the mining sector to Zambia’s economy revealed that mining contributes at least 25 percent of the tax revenue in Zambia.
According to the findings, the figure goes up to 32 percent if Pay As You Earn (PAYE) is included.
Speaking at the close of a two-day media workshop aimed at disseminating the findings of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) on the contribution of the mining sector to Zambia’economy, Mr Mutati observed that it will be difficult for Zambians to appreciate the contribution of mining to the country’s revenue if other sectors of the economy are not uplifted.
He said one sector alone could not give the country all its revenue requirements.
“We need to get other sectors uplifted if we are to address poverty in our country. We can milk the mines but it will not help if other sectors do not contribute,” Mr Mutati said.
“Other sectors should also do their bit otherwise we will never be satisfied with what we get from mining.”
Mr Mutati said there was need to seriously grow the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
Mr Mutati said the Chamber of Mines would continue organising workshops to sensitise the masses on what contribution mining had been making to the Zambian economy.
He also urged journalists to seek facts which he said the chamber would provide.
Speaking at the same workshop, Tranter Resources executive director Sixtus Mulenga observed that Zambia had not effectively diversified its economy since independence.
Dr Mulenga said there was need for the country to develop its agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing sectors among others as a way of spreading out its risk and expanding the tax base.
He said if the above is done, the economy would not be so much affected in times when the mining sector was not doing well.
Dr Mulenga also added that there was need to find a way of reducing the input costs in the old mines on the Copperbelt which he said were very expensive to run.