GOVERNMENT intends to reduce mining fees and levies by up to 50 percent, Deputy Mines and Mining Development Minister Gift Chimanikire said yesterday. This follows an outcry from the industry after Government raised pre-exploration fees for most minerals by as much as 8 000 percent in January this year.
For instance, registration fees for platinum and diamond claims rose to US$2,5 million and US$5 million, respectively. The registration fees for coal, coal-bed methane and other mineral oils increased to US$500 000 while mining firms are paying annual rental of US$500 per hectare for chrome and US$3 000 per ha for diamonds.
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