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| Tanzania Minerals Audit Agency (TMAA) |
The government has managed to recover over 400bn/- in corporate taxes from three big mining companies in the last three years through the audit work done by the Tanzania Minerals Audit Agency (TMAA).
The three gold mining companies which are Resolute Resources, Geita Gold Mine and Tulawaka paid 77bn/-, 270bn/- and 72bn/- respectively, in corporate taxes between November 2009 and December last year.
According to TMAA Chief Executive Officer Eng Paul Masanja, the agency has also intensified control and monitoring on environmental issues, ensuring progressive rehabilitation of the environment as mining operations continue.
Engineer Masanja revealed this in the just ended two-day seminar on mining export-import regulations in Dar es Salaam, whereby he said the government’s earnings from mining are on gradual increase.
“TMAA is responsible for auditing mineral production and exports as well as environmental auditing to ensure all miners adhere to progressive rehabilitation requirements and have sufficient rehabilitation bonds to safeguard their operations,” said Engineer Masanja.
He however decried rampant smuggling of minerals by small and medium miners in particular, a trend that subjects the country to substantial loss of revenues through uncollected taxes.
Speaking at the seminar organized by the agency, TMAA Director for Minerals Valuation and Laboratory Services Engineer Dominic Rwekaza underscored the need for proper understanding of the 2010 Mining Act and its regulations by all officials manning the country boarders to confidently identify and arrest culprits of illegal mining business.
“It’s high time we worked jointly with all stakeholders in mining sector to save the nation from massive revenue loss,” he said at the closure of the two-day seminar that brought together officials from TMAA, Customs department, Police and Airport security.
He said collaboration among various stakeholders would ease the TMAA task of checking smuggling of minerals and royalty evasion.
The TMAA Manager for Valuation, George Kaseza said the agency conducts audits that spans over the entire period for which the mining company has been operating.
Kaseza said the agency will in the near future establish a database through which all the mining licenses and other documents related to mining business will be accessed by the agency something that will help them curb forgery in the industry.
The three gold mining companies which are Resolute Resources, Geita Gold Mine and Tulawaka paid 77bn/-, 270bn/- and 72bn/- respectively, in corporate taxes between November 2009 and December last year.
According to TMAA Chief Executive Officer Eng Paul Masanja, the agency has also intensified control and monitoring on environmental issues, ensuring progressive rehabilitation of the environment as mining operations continue.
Engineer Masanja revealed this in the just ended two-day seminar on mining export-import regulations in Dar es Salaam, whereby he said the government’s earnings from mining are on gradual increase.
“TMAA is responsible for auditing mineral production and exports as well as environmental auditing to ensure all miners adhere to progressive rehabilitation requirements and have sufficient rehabilitation bonds to safeguard their operations,” said Engineer Masanja.
He however decried rampant smuggling of minerals by small and medium miners in particular, a trend that subjects the country to substantial loss of revenues through uncollected taxes.
Speaking at the seminar organized by the agency, TMAA Director for Minerals Valuation and Laboratory Services Engineer Dominic Rwekaza underscored the need for proper understanding of the 2010 Mining Act and its regulations by all officials manning the country boarders to confidently identify and arrest culprits of illegal mining business.
“It’s high time we worked jointly with all stakeholders in mining sector to save the nation from massive revenue loss,” he said at the closure of the two-day seminar that brought together officials from TMAA, Customs department, Police and Airport security.
He said collaboration among various stakeholders would ease the TMAA task of checking smuggling of minerals and royalty evasion.
The TMAA Manager for Valuation, George Kaseza said the agency conducts audits that spans over the entire period for which the mining company has been operating.
Kaseza said the agency will in the near future establish a database through which all the mining licenses and other documents related to mining business will be accessed by the agency something that will help them curb forgery in the industry.
Lack of modern equipment and manpower at various entry or exit points remain to be among the serious challenges haunting TMAA’s performance.
CHANZO: THE GUARDIAN
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