(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO — The revenue service has sent tax assessment forms en masse to entrepreneurs in the gold mining industry, especially those that have put up a lucrative business.
Owners of the so-called ‘gold pontoons’ and ‘scalians’ the colossal vessels on the Corantijn, Suriname and Marowijne Rivers are the first to be taxed. Revenue Service director Tony van Dijk confirms sending the assessment forms. ‘We know that mostly foreigners that have put up a lucrative gold mining business. It does not matter if the businesses in fact belong to Surinamers, they have to pay. Owners of concession and heavy equipment are also taxed. I would not be able to look the man in the street in the eye if I ignored the gold industry.‘
Chairman of the presidential restructuring commission, Gerold Dompig, assures that the 30,000 small-scale gold miners, the so-called ‘bate man’ will not be taxed, until they sell their gold. Only the ‘big boys’ will have to cough up. Van Dijk and Dompig say the big investors are mainly foreigners with skills and capital. The taxes will be assessed retroactively. ‘The revenue service may determine the height of the tax. It is up to the tax payer to prove that the assessment is wrong,’ Dompig explains.
Van Dijk says that the entrepreneurs will have ample opportunities to discuss the height of their debt and a pay schedule. ‘We do not want to bankrupt entrepreneurs, but paying is a obligation. If they refuse to pay we will confiscate their belongings.’ The operation is in line with the government’s plans to legalize the gold industry. Tax payers can apply for assistance and protection from the government. Concession applications may be sped up if the entrepreneur pays his taxes regularly. Those that do not pay risk being fined or arrested.
