LUSAKA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Foreign mining firms operating in Zambia on Wednesday said people accusing the sector of engaging in tax evasion and illicit financial flows should present proof behind their allegations.
Last week, an analyst accused mining firms of engaging in tax evasion and illicit financial flows estimated at 3 billion United States dollars per year and accused the mining firms and other multinationals of robbery.
But Nathan Chishimba, the president of the Zambia Chamber of Mines, an umbrella body of foreign firm operating in Zambia, said in the absence of evidence, the allegations being leveled against the sector were outrageous and unhelpful.
"They are intended to damage the reputation of an industry that is central to our economy. We have tried to follow the trail of these allegations to their source, but we cannot find any primary data source that reveals this figure of 3 billion dollars," he said.
He expressed concern that the allegations were similar to the ones which preceded the regressive mining tax changes of 2014/2015, which brought untold damage to the industry.
According to him, the figures of tax evasion and illicit financial flows imply that half of the country's annual copper production was unaccounted for.
