Zambia's mines cry of levy

The levy was first introduced in 2006 to promote local value addition and stimulate employment for the growing army of jobless youth. That remains a cornerstone of government policy and last year, for instance, it took another step by stopping overseas auctions of Zambian emeralds with the aim of jacking up the local gemstones industry.

Initially, the mineral export tax was levied at 15 percent of value on copper and cobalt concentrates only. It was subsequently extended to all unprocessed and semi-processed minerals and the rate was cut to 10 percent. Part of the reasoning was that copper concentrates contained other minerals and their export led to undervaluing of overall mineral exports.