NCRI – Of the 145 small and medium size active metal ore mines in 2013, only nine remain active, according to the vice president of the Mine Ore Importers/Exporters Association.
“Around 8,000 were employed in the metal ore extraction branch, and their closure has led to at least 5,000 workers becoming unemployed,” according to Iran’s state-run TV/Radio in its interview with Bahram Shakuri.
“Across the globe we are witnessing governments decreasing taxes on miners with the objective of supporting them and their families, and this actually increases the governments’ income. 1.8 trillion tomans ($514.3 million) was expected to be extracted from the mines. In practice, however, 450 billion tomans ($128.6 million) was made, making up only 25%. This number in 2015 was forecasted at 1.5 trillion tomans ($428.6 million), which was unreasonable yet again, and only 330 billion tomans ($94.3 million) were made. In 2016 the forecast laid at 900 billion tomans ($257.1 million), and only 358 billions tomans ($102.3 million) was made,” he said.
“Privatization must be carried out in realistic fashion and the government must stop all corrupt methods. Many private companies have entered the mining business and do not pay any taxes, and they have become the rivals of older companies. These practices hurt this branch of economy, especially the mines,” Shakuri explained.