Sumbawa People Network for Mining (Jembatang), a non-governmental organization of West Nusa Tenggara province, asked Sumbawa regency's administration and legislature to take a tough measures on all foreign investors in the regency, including copper and gold mining company PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara.
Jembatang said in a statement on Tuesday the regency's administration and legislature should learn from the tax dispute between Minahasa regency in North Sulawesi and gold mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya.
Minahasa regency has filed a suit against Newmont in the local district for its refusal to pay taxes on the building materials contained by its overburden. Newmont maintained that that it was not obliged to pay taxes on the overburden.
Jembatang maintained that overburden was taxable and the Minahasa should demand Newmont Nusa Tenggara pay large taxes than those demanded by Minahasa regency from Newmont Minahasa Raya because the gold deposit being developed by Newmont Nusatenggara was larger than the deposit being developed by its affiliate in North Sulawesi.
The NGO said the overburden contained biodiversity, which is the intellectual property of the people living around the mining areas.
It called on Sumbawa regency and legislature to unify perception on the case. (*)
