Zimbabwe government is proposing hefty registration, rental and licence fees for mining activities. Mines and Mining Development Permanent Secretary, Mr Prince Mupazviriho confirmed that new fees will be announced soon. He, however, declined to divulge details.

Mr Mupazviriho said that "We are certainly working on that but nothing has been approved yet or gazetted. Maybe if you check with me by midweek something will have been agreed on.”

However, a schedule seen by The Herald with some of the proposed increases has already caused panic within the mining sector.

According to the draft schedule the application fees for an ordinary prospectors licence for platinum will rise from USD 150 to USD 500 000 while the registration fee will be USD 2,5 million from USD 300.

The fees are paid once off and non refundable.

Ground rentals per annum will rise from USD 10 per five claims to USD 1 000 per hectare.

For diamonds, the registration fee will remain at USD 1 million although a once off and non refundable registration fee of USD 5 million will be introduced if the proposals are approved.

The licence to cut and polish diamonds will rise to USD 100 000 from USD 20 000 while a gold buying licence will double from USD 2 500 to USD 5 000.

Custom milling licence will rise to USD 8 000 from USD 2 000 while for toll smelters it will rise to USD 5 000.

An ordinary prospecting licence will attract USD 500 per mining district up from the USD 100 for the whole country that used to be charged.

The application fee for coal and coal bed methane gas, mineral oils, natural gas and nuclear energy mineral resource will attract a once off non-refundable application fee of USD 100 000, up from USD 5 000 while an application for chrome prospecting will be pegged at USD 500 from USD 100.

(Sourced from The Herald)