Districts ordered to stop taxing illegal mining machines
Ghana's President Mahama has ordered district assemblies to stop taxing illegal mining equipment, specifically 'changfan' machines and excavators. An investigation showed widespread collection of revenue from illegal gold mining activities across golden mining districts. The President stressed that revenue generation cannot come from illegal activities. Guidelines will be issued to district aut...
President Mahama has ordered district assemblies to stop taxing illegal mining activities. This follows a report exposing this practice in gold mining areas.
The report showed some district assemblies were collecting money from illegal miners. They were taxing machines like 'changfan' and excavators. These machines are used in illegal mining, also known as 'galamsey'.
District assemblies did this to increase their own funds. They taxed any machine that entered the district, whether for legal or illegal use. This was happening in almost all gold mining districts, not just one.
President Mahama said this practice is wrong. He stated that it makes the fight against illegal mining harder. He ordered strong action to stop taxing 'changfan' machines because they are illegal.
He warned that councils cannot raise money from illegal acts. He has told the Special Adviser on Governmental Affairs and the Ministry of Local Government to give clear rules. These rules will teach district authorities how to raise revenue in legal ways.
Source: StatsGH — Ghana's data-driven news platform