About 24 million dollars from the sale of gold from artisanal and small-scale mining in the country are moved annually without the control of the authorities responsible for taxation.
The data was revealed by the inspector of the General Inspection of Mineral Resources and Energy (IGREME), Obete Matine, in his recent visit to the gold mines located in the administrative post of Moatize headquarters, in the province of Tete.
According to the leader, quoted by Notícias, nearly 40% of about one ton of gold produced per year in artisanal and small-scale mining in the country is sold to people without a marketing license, undermining the capture of the product for the legal circuit and consequent payment of tax.
“If the person who is producing in the mines sells to the person who has a marketing license, he ends up paying the tax, because he introduces the gold into the legal circuit. However, the tax is not captured from that product that is sold to unlicensed dealers who take the gold out of the country illegally,” he explained.
As a way to put an end to this scenario he assured that IGREME is holding meetings with the Tax Authority (AT) to find ways to collect taxes at the level of artisanal and small-scale miners in general because, according to Matine, even in an illegal situation this group is obliged to pay tax.
“However, it is necessary that artisanal miners make sure of the identity of the buyers of their product, because the sale of gold to illegal buyers can contribute to feeding smuggling and trafficking of mineral products, in addition to not contributing to the state,” he said.
