MINISTRY of Mines Permanent Secretary Dr Hapenga Kabeta says government is looking into reducing VAT on gold to allow for easier trade among artisanal and small-scale miners. His response came after World Gold Council member Grant Crosse urged government to consider reducing VAT on gold from the current 16 percent during a courtesy call on the Ministry of Mines yesterday. Crosse said failure to find a solution would result in challenges in navigating the gold value chain. He further highlighted that government was missing out on between $80 million and $240 million in royalty tax due to a lack of formalisation in the sector. “One of the challenges that we’ve noticed in the gold sector is the 16 percent VAT...