…say new taxes will not affect them negatively

SMALL miners across Guyana are in high praise of the Government, saying that the historic meeting with the Ministries of Finance and Natural Resources last Monday was an important step for the Gold Mining Industry and marks the long-awaited official acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the pursuits of the small mining community, a statement Wednesday noted.The meeting was attended by small miners from Karrau Mining Syndicate and Mahdia/Konwaruk Small Miners Association, Parika/Mora Small Miners Association, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO). It sought to provide clarity to miners on the new tax compliance marks required by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) under the laws of Guyana.

In a statement, the small miners said that the meeting was a positive move on the part of the Government and a significant step forward in affording a broader cross-section of Guyanese access to the economic opportunities afforded by the gold mining sector.

“Critically, the invitation to small miners to attend the meeting also points to an encouraging official recognition of the legitimacy of the pursuits of small operators in the sector. We applaud, equally, the Ministries of Natural Resources and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for taking this initiative,” the small miners said.

With increased knowledge on the tax regime, the miners said that they now understand that the new tax regime will not affect them negatively because the defaulters happened to be some of the “real big” miners.

“Small miners will not be oppressed by these measures as the GGDMA, Mr Christopher Ram and the GWMO tried to make them believe at a previous meeting,” they said.

The miners are of the strong opinion that the Government is committed to working with small groups, syndicates and non-governmental organizations in the gold-mining sector to ensure that small miners benefit fully from such concessions as are available to the sector.

“Government, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Guyana Revenue Authority, will support small miners’ efforts to comply with the laws of the country in the matters of the filing of tax returns and the payment of taxes,” they said while noting that a desk will be established at GGMC to provide guidance to small miners in their quest to become tax-compliant.

During that meeting, it was established that small mining groups, including Cooperatives and Syndicates can apply for and secure exemptions from taxes relating to the purchase of heavy-duty equipment associated with mining activities.