Suriname moving to up royalty paid by gold miners

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The state plans to collect more revenues from gold miners by increasing the so-called royalty from one to three percent of the price per gram of gold. However, Parliament still has to approve the new Gold Law.

Gerold Dompig of the Presidential Gold Commission hopes this will be done within two months’ time. Both French Guiana and Guyana have frequently complained about the uncontrolled smuggling of gold from their territory to Suriname. Miners from the neighbouring countries consider it more attractive to sell their gold in Suriname, since the one percent royalty being levied here is far less than the four to six percent charged in their own countries.