LUSAKA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's tax agency on Wednesday announced new measures aimed at checking the value of minerals being exported outside the country following reports of undervaluation.
The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) said exports of minerals, mineral ores and concentrates will now be subjected to X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)-analyzers before exiting the country in order to detect specific mineral content in mineral exports.
Kingsley Chanda, the commissioner-general of the tax agency said the move follows reports of mining companies exporting precious metals, especially gold, using falsified mineral content analysis reports, according to a statement released by the communication unit.
This, he said, has resulted in gross under-valuations of gold exports, a move that was affecting revenue collection from mining firms.
He further said all mineral exports will be undergoing physical inspections as well as X-ray analysis at all border points before being released, adding that the process will not be taking more than five minutes.
He has since warned that any discrepancies in the readings at inspection points will result in the exporter being questioned and appropriate sanctions imposed if it was discovered that there was a wrong declaration on the quality of the mineral export.
The government has procured 18 XRF Analyzers under the Mineral Value Chain Monitoring Project being supported by the European Union (EU) aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the mineral value chain.
