AfricaPress-Tanzania: GOVERNMENT will hold a conference with the District Executive Directors to harmonise levies and other tax-related charges paid by small-scale miners in the country.
Minerals Minister Mr Doto Biteko said that the move is aimed at softening business environment amongst small scale miners and the mining sector in the country.
“My ministry is in the process of holding a meeting with all DEDs in the country to discuss the best ways possible of harmonising taxes, levies and other charges paid by miners in their areas of jurisdiction,” Mr Biteko said in Dar es Salaam during the closure of a two-day conference on minerals and mining investment.
He said that some taxes and levies in different district councils were non-friendly to mining and mineral traders, which were delaying efforts of benefiting local miners.
Mr Biteko said that the efforts were aimed at mining reforms which started in 2017, which were to see Tanzanians benefiting from the country’s God given mineral resources.
The minister said that more plans by the government to the country’s small-scale miners were to support them with expertise on how they can extract resources using modern methods.
“Efforts are directed to the Geological Survey of Tanzania to help the miners with areas of mineral positioning. This will relieve them with tediousness of putting energy, time and resources to areas with no minerals.”
Other efforts to make small scale miners lives better will be support on drilling and blasting rocks in their mining sites.
On this, he said that the government has already capacitated the State Mining Cooperation (STAMICO) with modern tools needed.
He said that his belief was on that STAMICO will be able to cover the whole areas where Small Scale miners are working from.
