Gold miners hint of reservations on Gillard’s new mining tax
Gold mining executives based in North Queensland has expressed reservations today that the federal government could again effect changes on the super profits mining tax once it gained re-election.
Last week, Prime Minister Julia Gillard softened the government's proposed mining tax headline rate of 40 percent, down to 30 percent but the new rate would apply only to iron ore and coal.
However, Citigold chief operating officer Chris Towsey said that the Gillard government could still alter the tax scheme and eventually include other resources such as gold as he stressed that for now "the industry is sitting back and waiting and we've taken the Government at its word."
Mr Towsey revealed that the resource industry may have withdrawn its advertising campaign against the mining tax for now but to totally abandon its opposition is another story.
He said that the ad campaign is simply resting for now and "waiting to ensure that the Government actually delivers on its promise."
Mr Towsey said that the industry as a whole is not discounting the possibility that "there is no guarantee that once that tax is in, it cannot then be modified to include other companies."
He said that along the way, someone in the Treasury could entertain the idea that if they could pass the new tax measures, then they could actually tinker with the provisions and maybe include the other players of the resource industry.