Mining Rakes In GH¢520m Revenue
The mining sub-sector paid about GH¢520 million to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) last year.
The amount represents 21 per cent of the GRA's collections that year.
The sub-sector also paid the highest corporate tax of GH¢242 million to the GRA, amounting to 24 per cent of the total company tax collected for the same year.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr Joyce R. Aryee, made this known in an interaction with the Eastern Regional Press Corps in Koforidua last Tuesday.
The interaction was to educate the media on the functions of the chamber, the benefits of mining, as well as the challenges, especially posed by illegal miners.
Quoting figures from the Ghana Statistical Service and the Ministry of Finance, Dr Aryee said the sub-sector grew at a remarkable rate of 11.2 per cent last year, against 6.8 per cent in 2009, adding that revenue from minerals during the period accounted for 49 per cent of the country's gross export earnings, one per cent higher than those of 2009.
According to her, the significant growth of the mining sub-sector gave employment to 12,294 people, out of whom 98 per cent were Ghanaians and two per cent expatriates, adding that it also gave rise to other local mining businesses in the supply chain which engaged a large number of people.
She said in spite of the significant gains in the mining sub-sector, it was faced with numerous challenges, such as environmental pollution and degradation, which the chamber was doing its best to help resolve.