Pleased with assistance to miners

As a small miner operating within the Cuyuni/Mazaruni and Aranka mining areas for over 20 years I am heartened by the recent announcement by the government of two billion dollars’ worth of incentives and support to the mining sector. This will benefit everyone.

The Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the Minister of Natural

Resources, Hon. Vickram Bharrat have delivered on their promises to support all miners, even the smallest of the small will benefit from these interventions to cushion the increasing cost of production due to COVID-19 and the ongoing Ukraine/Russia war. This is evidence that the current administration is listening not only to the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, but also to the small miners in the backdam who the government and its agencies have been engaging with constantly.

Editor, I am more pleased to know that we have a listening and caring government and more so that ordinary citizens can make suggestions and recommendations which are acted upon by the government to guide policy and create avenues for incentives across the board for all.

I must say miners have received and benefitted from much support over the past two years such as in the last budget with a reduction and removal of VAT and some taxes on various levels of pick-ups, trucks, ATVs and most recently the removal of taxes on fuel and lubricants. And now an additional set of incentives such as the reduction of the final tax on income from gold produced from 3.5 % to 2.5 %, abolition of the 10% tributors tax, removal of 14% VAT on lubricating oils, etc. This is in addition to a commitment to expedite the construction of roads and associated infrastructure to support not only mining but logging as well.