The two major mining groups, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO), are calling on the government to reexamine proposed budgetary measures that they say will lead to further decline of local mining.
“The 2017 Budget in its current form spells doom. The mining sector will decline without help,” the GGDMA and GWMO declared yesterday in a joint statement, where they also issued an open invitation to Finance Minister Winston Jordan and Guyana Revenue Authority head Godfrey Statia to accompany them on a familiarisation visit to get a better understanding of mining areas.
They warned that the proposed budget along with a previously proposed 3% reduction in the gold board price for gold can only lead to lower declarations and a decline in the sector that would take the economy into a negative spiral as they argued that there will be no growth without mining.
