Glencore’ Mopani told to pay more taxes

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Message Jeu 7 Juil 2011 17:55

Glencore’ Mopani told to pay more taxes

Glencore’ Mopani told to pay more taxes
July 7, 2011
LUSAKA – Zambia has asked commodity trader Glencore’s Mopani Copper Mines for unpaid taxes after an audit of the subsidiary, leaked earlier this year, revealed it had underpaid mining dues, Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane has said.

But Zambia is leaving the door open for a deal with Glencore.

Dr Musokotwane told Reuters recently that the Government hoped to resolve the long-standing issue and was giving Mopani a chance to respond.

Mopani has been accused by some non-governmental organisations — most recently by campaign groups in an open letter signed by a group of European parliamentarians — of tax evasion and of causing widespread pollution.

Two weeks ago the European Investment Bank, the European Union’s lending institution, said it had frozen all new loans to Glencore and its subsidiaries, citing “serious concerns” over the commodity trader’s governance.

Most of the claims stem from a pilot audit commissioned by Zambian tax authorities, which leaked earlier this year.

Glencore has repeatedly denied the allegations in the audit report and says they are based on an incomplete study.

The commodities giant, which has said it believes it will be completely exonerated, had no further comment on Monday.

“The Zambia Revenue Authority has asked Mopani to pay more money in underpaid taxes, but they must be given a chance to respond,” Dr Musokotwane said in an interview.

Dr Musokotwane did not detail how much was owed, but he said Mopani had been asked to pay more.

He said if the company’s response did not hold up to scrutiny, it would be hit with a bigger tax bill.

“If their answers are satisfactory, we will go by what they submit, but if they are not satisfactory we will adjust their tax liability upwards to the figure that the Zambia Revenue Authority has asked them to pay,” he said.

“We are very confident that this matter will be resolved amicably and are just waiting to hear from Mopani,” Dr Musokotwane added.

Glencore is the world’s largest diversified commodities trader and listed on the London Stock Exchange in May.

Mopani, in which Canada’s First Quantum and the Zambian state own minority stakes, has generated more than US$380 million in tax payments to the government since its privatisation in 2000, through royalties, import and customs duties and income taxes.

Reports from South Africa say Glencore is still fighting negative investor perception that its corporate governance was at best dogdy.

Glencore chief executive officer Ivan Glasenberg brushed off the suggestion that there was any real problem at a press conference when releasing the company results in South Africa.

At the start of June, the European Investment Bank said it was investigating Glencore following accusations of tax evasion by non-governmental groups and a leaked draft of a Zambian Revenue Authority-commissioned study that accused the trader of inflating mine costs and of undervaluing its minerals.

Mr Glasenberg said Zambia Revenue Authority is carrying out a full audit on the group’s Mopani copper project. “I believe when the full audit is done at the operation we will be fully vindicated.” – REUTERS

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Message Jeu 7 Juil 2011 21:44

Re: Glencore’ Mopani told to pay more taxes

Ils (glencore) lachent pas comme ça le morceau.
Bon, 300 millions de dollars ?

Mais ça n'avance pas beaucoup nos affaires, ailleurs.

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