First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is hoping to talk its way out of a US$7.9 billion tax assessment in Zambia. Investors aren’t so sure, with shares down 17 per cent in the two days since news of the claim emerged.
The Vancouver-based miner “completely refutes” the claim and doesn’t understand the authorities’ assessment, chief executive Philip Pascall said on a conference call Wednesday. As he spoke, the stock fell as much as 9.2 per cent, extending a 12 per cent plunge on Tuesday.
At 9:40 a.m. in Toronto, the daily loss had pared to 4.7 per cent. The southern African nation accounts for 84 per cent of its revenue.
First Quantum received a letter from Zambia authorities “noting an assessment for import duties, penalties and interest on consumables and spare parts.” It will need four to six months to review the claim, which affects over 23,000 bills of entry and US$540 million in imported equipment, Pascall said.
“It is unusual because normally it would be confidential and there wouldn’t be any press releases about it,” he said. “And then the matter gets resolved in due course.”
He said the company has paid about US$3 billion in tax to date in Zambia, with its annual bill varying from year to year. First Quantum pays about US$200 million in annual Zambian royalties.
Asked on the call if it’s likely that the claim will be settled for an immaterial amount, Pascall said: “Certainly we hope so.” The company will negotiate with Zambian authorities and could ultimately take the issue through the country’s court system, he said.
First Quantum isn’t the first miner to be hit with a massive tax bill for operations in Africa. Last summer, Tanzania sent Acacia Mining Plc a demand for payment equal to almost two centuries’ worth of the gold miner’s revenue. And the Democratic Republic of Congo is moving ahead with dramatic tax increases. Zambia said it’s planning an audit of other mining companies going back six years.