The Jamaican Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke has manifested that the govt. has collected $2 billion from the bauxite levy in late 2021.
On 18th January 2022, while countering the questions put forward by Phillip Paulwell, the mining spokesperson of the opposition in the House of Representatives, the minister advocated that the figure of the levy may have been overlooked as a line item in the Government's revenue package.
“The levy payments were due to the efforts of the former Minister of Mining Robert Montague, who was removed from that ministry in the recent Cabinet shuffle”, said Dr Nigel Clarke.
“It was due to the good work of that former minister that we collected $2 billion in bauxite levy in the last few months.”
Robert Montague, presently the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, said “The finance minister would not have been familiar with the details of the payments while answering questions in the House.”
He further added “The $2 billion included $13.7 million paid by UC Rusal in December and that an asset usage fee debt of $3.4 million, owed to Jamaica Bauxite Mines by New Day/Noranda Bauxite, has been paid in full by Concord Resources Limited. UC Rusal operates from Ewarton Works, Swallenberg, Port Esquivel, and Kirkvine.”
The preceding mining minister, Montague said “In addition to the $2 billion, UC Rusal agreed to pay off the backlog over the next 30 months, while giving the undertaking to keep current levy payments up to date.”
“Whatever is due currently has to be paid on time. However, the payments are being made to the Ministry of Finance not the Ministry of Mining.”
The concern in regards to dearth of payment of the levy by the bauxite/alumina firms functionalizing in Jamaica, which evolved in no payments being made for several years up to December 2021, has likely been the most bickering for Government and opposition Members of Parliament (MPs), by arising questions that had been tabled by Julian Robinson the opposition spokesman on finance.
Clarke briefed the House by saying “There was an evaporation of support for the levy by the bauxite industry, which was linked to the fact that the communities in proximity to the bauxite mining and production areas continue to be ‘communities in need’ despite their efforts.”
_0_0.gif)
“The Government is prepared to address that. That is something that we ought to do. But, as minister of finance, I disagree with any form of air-marketing, which often lead to wastage, and over the last couple of decades we have seen examples of that,” Clarke added.
“What I think is necessary, is that, as the bauxite levy revenues come in and a concerted effort is made to ensure that the communities from which this precious resource flows, that if their needs are concerning water, for example, these needs are addressed.”
Responses
