Vietnam's largest gold mine boarded up for back taxes

July 25, 2014 | 14:42

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The Bersa Vietnam Group has been forced to stop their mining activities at the Phuoc Son gold mine, the largest of its kind in Vietnam, due to mounting tax debt.

A worker is operating a machine inside the Phuoc Son gold mine.

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Apart from the suspension of operations at the Phuoc Son, the firm also had to shut down activities at Bong Mieu, another gold mine in the same province.

The decision to temporarily close those mines was made one day after an inspection spearheaded by Nguyen Minh Quang, minister of Environment and Natural Resources, at Phuoc Son on July 22.

The group explained that they had no choice but to suspend activities, as their two subsidiaries, Phuoc Son and Bong Mieu, have had their bank accounts frozen and receipts rendered invalid by the provincial Tax Office since April this year.

They said that the halt in operations at these mines has resulted in a disruption of labour contracts for over 1,000 workers. They entreated local authorities and police to ensure security at the gold mines during the suspension.

They will work with local and central authorities to ask for some leniency on their tax debt.

The group has owed nearly VND300 billion (USD14.12 million) in back taxes since 2012.

Dtinews

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