Gov’t scoops up more mining revenue
In the first eight months of the year the Ministry of Mines and Energy has already surpassed its annual target for non-tax revenue collection from sand dredging and construction material-related mining operations, collecting 117 percent of the $6.6 million outlined in the 2016 national budget, a ministry official said on October 6. Dith Tina, secretary of state at the ministry, said the government collected $7.7 million in non-tax revenue, a broad category that includes licencing fees, royalties and fines on companies found in violation of regulations. By contrast, in 2015, the government collected just $6.9 million in non-tax revenue from the same extractive industries. “The growth in revenue is above expectations because we have strengthened our operating groups that inspect mining sites and we also collect revenue from companies when they submit their mining plans,” he said, adding that previously the ministry waited until operations had actually begun before levying dues.
