RESPUESTAS DE POLÍTICA TRIBUTARIA MINERA AL COVID-19

The document outlines how governments in resource-rich developing countries can use fiscal policy to support the mining sector during the COVID-19 crisis. It identifies short-term impacts such as operational suspensions in Mongolia, Peru, Bolivia, and Madagascar, and fluctuating commodity prices. The guide recommends targeted tax relief—such as deferring payroll taxes, accelerating VAT refunds, and providing import duty relief—only for companies demonstrating severe economic distress. It emphasizes that such support should be conditional on maintaining employment, suspending executive bonuses, and adopting transparent pricing and tax practices. The guide warns against general income tax exemptions and the removal of withholding taxes on non-residents, as these are inefficient or risky for developing states.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has caused operational disruptions in the mining sector, including temporary suspensions at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, the Quellaveco mine in Peru, the San Cristóbal silver-zinc-lead mine in Bolivia, and the Ambatovy nickel mine in Madagascar.
• The economic impact of mine closures is severe in some regions; for instance, in South Africa, such closures could result in an 8% reduction in GDP for the year.
• Governments are treating the mining sector differently regarding essential services: the United States classified mining workers as essential, whereas Mexico considered mining a non-essential activity that should be suspended.
• Commodity price volatility has created divergent outcomes: demand and prices for copper, nickel, and platinum have decreased, while demand for precious metals like gold and silver has grown consistently.
• Tax relief should be targeted specifically at companies in severe economic distress rather than the whole sector. Indicators of distress include negative project cash flows for over a year, inability to meet tax obligations, or the risk of significant layoffs.
• State support should be conditional on specific requirements, including maintaining employees at normal salaries, suspending executive bonuses and dividend payments, and abandoning artificial tax avoidance schemes.
• Recommended short-term fiscal relief measures include deferring payroll taxes, accelerating VAT refunds, granting import duty exemptions for critical supplies, and allowing immediate deductions or tax credits for health-related expenditures.
• The guide advises against using general income tax exemptions or removing withholding taxes for non-residents, as the former is inefficient for marginal mines and the latter is a critical, easily collectible revenue source for developing countries.

APA

Corrick, L., Lassourd, T., Readhead, A., & Taquiri, J. (2020). RESPUESTAS DE POLÍTICA TRIBUTARIA MINERA AL COVID-19. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mining-tax-policy-covid-19-es.pdf

Chicago

Corrick, Lee, Thomas Lassourd, Alexandra Readhead, and Jaqueline Taquiri. RESPUESTAS DE POLÍTICA TRIBUTARIA MINERA AL COVID-19. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mining-tax-policy-covid-19-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corrick |first1=Lee |last2=Lassourd |first2=Thomas |last3=Readhead |first3=Alexandra |last4=Taquiri |first4=Jaqueline |title=RESPUESTAS DE POLÍTICA TRIBUTARIA MINERA AL COVID-19 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mining-tax-policy-covid-19-es.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corrick2020respuestas, author = {Corrick, Lee and Lassourd, Thomas and Readhead, Alexandra and Taquiri, Jaqueline}, title = {{RESPUESTAS DE POLÍTICA TRIBUTARIA MINERA AL COVID-19}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mining-tax-policy-covid-19-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }