Non-Metallic Mining

The report argues that tax and royalty policies for non-metallic minerals should be tailored to the specific economics of each mineral, as standard frameworks for metallic minerals may be inappropriate. It suggests that unit-based royalties are effective for minimizing administration costs when revenue potential is limited and cautions against the use of tax incentives due to their poor track record in promoting investment. The study estimates that over USD 217 billion of non-metallic minerals are produced annually across 66 countries.

• Tax and royalty policies for non-metallic minerals should be tailored to the specific economics of each mineral, as existing analyses focused on higher-value metallic minerals may not be applicable.
• Unit-based royalties are recommended for certain non-metallic minerals to keep tax administration costs low, particularly when the minerals' potential for generating government revenue is limited.
• Governments are advised to use tax incentives with caution because they have a poor track record of promoting investment; instead, they should apply principles of effective industrial policy to attract investment or spur development.
• The global annual production of non-metallic minerals is estimated to be over USD 217 billion across 66 countries, though the actual global total is likely higher.

APA

Davis,, W. (2025). Non-Metallic Mining. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/tax-non-metallic-minerals

Chicago

Davis,, William. Non-Metallic Mining. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/tax-non-metallic-minerals.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Davis, |first1=William |title=Non-Metallic Mining |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=13 November 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/tax-non-metallic-minerals |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{davis2025nonmetallic, author = {Davis,, William}, title = {{Non-Metallic Mining}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/tax-non-metallic-minerals}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }