Mwanza — GOVERNMENT is deprived of revenue from artisanal miners who do not pay taxes. Assistant Commissioner for Minerals, Lake Zone Mr Salim Salim told the 'Sunday News' that government captures only 20 per cent of minerals revenue.

"We are now more serious than ever before, we want to enforce the Minerals Act 2013, we are committed to collecting taxes from miners through any means possible to make sure the prevailing situation is contained," said Mr Salim.

He noted that there have been cases at Kilimanjaro and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere international airports where people have been arrested carrying gemstones worth thousands of US dollars. The Tanzania Minerals Audit Agency (TMAA) was established in 2009 to address the issue of miners operating without licences.