‘ZAMBIANS MUST BENEFIT FROM THE MINES’

By Scoop Reporter

REDUCING Mineral royalty tax below 1 percent as advised by some mining expert and academician from the School of Mines at the Copperbelt University is a shallow way of depriving the nation of the much-needed development, according to aspiring MP for Mufulira Central Constituency Geoffrey Luchembe.

Mr. Luchembe said it was a well-known fact that the country and miners had not benefited so much from the mines because of lack of serious policies that put miners and the communities first, as well as adequate laws to deal with tax evasion.

“It’s very sad that people still look at mining 2024 and cannot see the difference in terms of copper prices which has greatly increased and mechanization which benefits the investors more and other technologies helping the investors to make huge profits,” Mr. Luchembe said.

He said the country has given enough political and environmental peace and protection, and stable and predictable taxes for the investors to have confidence in investing in the country and not much for the benefit of the nation.

He said attaining 3 million tons of production per year was not possible if the Government did not push for Greenfield mining projects and prospects existing in Luapula, Mkushi, Serenje, and Mumbwa areas to begin production.

He said the Government should seriously look at models, policies and reforms that would put a miner first like the Compensation Act, Pension Act, minimum wage, protect tax evasion and growing of shares in the mines.

“Instead of thinking about reducing mining royalty tax as advised by some experts to below 1 percent, he said, the Government should instead be advised to maintain six percent and use a model that would prevent tax evasion,” he said.