The authorities of Zimbabwe intend to collect their share of the proceeds from diamond sales immediately after the sale of the goods, without waiting for annual dividends from partners working at the diamond fields in Marange.
As the newspaper The Herald writes, there is a fear that the treasury lost millions of dollars in revenue from previous sales.
The state-owned mining company Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) owns a 50 percent stake in Marange diamond mining companies, including Mbada Diamonds, Anjin Investments, Diamond Mining Company, Jinan and Kusena.
Minister of the mining industry Walter Chidhakwa said at a meeting of the parliamentary commission that he agreed with the Ministry of Finance that the payment of royalties and fees for the extraction of resources, as well as the share of profits from diamond sales, should be made immediately after sales.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) collects 15% of sales from companies, while a 2% charge for depletion of reserves is payable in favor of ZMDC.
"We have developed a scheme that allows us not to expect payment of dividends at the end of the year," Chidakva said. "The revenue section will be made immediately: one share will be transferred to the government account, and the other will be transferred to the partner's account."