Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
A new report details subpar investor returns in the mining industry over the last decade, particularly big cap diversified companies which have not adapted to new realities.
A recent report by Chile’s Center for National Studies of Alternative Development (CENDA) shows that, between June 2021 and June 2022, Codelco was responsible for 30% of the country’s annual copper production and contributed 7.6% of the mining tax revenue while private companies extracted 70% of the copper and contributed 5% of tax revenues.
The Center found that overall and in real numbers, what it calls ‘private mining’ paid $3.5 billion in taxes, which is equivalent to 8.9% of the value of the copper extracted in the 12 months under study. Codelco, on the other hand, contributed $5.3 billion, which is equivalent to 33.2% of the value of copper extracted.
To reach these conclusions, the think-tank used the ‘royalty equivalent’ measure, which indicates the proportion of each ton of copper produced that should go to taxes.
“Total taxation of private companies is equivalent to less than a tithe of the value of each ton extracted. Codelco’s is equivalent to about a third of the value of each ton extracted,” the report reads. “Thus, the gigantic subsidy received by private mining companies becomes evident.”
According to the CENDA, the lower ‘royalty equivalent’ paid by private mining compared to Codelco has represented an additional benefit of nearly 100 billion dollars for these companies, since 2006.
