SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE SMALL-SCALE GOLD ... - WWF

As noted earlier, efforts to collect taxes from small-scale gold miners have not been
successful. The operation, named Goldfinger (1997-1999) came under heavy scrutiny
from miners, the media, and the Suriname public. A first source of concern was the
capricious nature of revenue collecting procedures. Tax collectors supported by military
personnel entered the gold fields, and calculated tax payments on the basis of the number
of mining units and other equipment used. Miners were forced to pay on the spot and in
the case of inability to comply, machines and other possessions were confiscated. Illegal
Brazilian miners usually just ran off into the forest upon arrival of the officials. Nonminers
protested against the scheme because of the uncertain destination of the tax
money. Rather than being used to strengthen government presence in the interior or to
introduce assistance schemes, the funds were deposited in a presidential bank account.
Figure 2. Gold purchases (kg) and royalties (in US$ * 100) received by the CBvS
Ministry of Justice and Police (Ministerie van Justitie en Politie) is responsible for
preventing and fighting crime in the entire country, including the mining areas. In
practice, this task is beyond the capacity of the Ministry and its working arm: the police
force. There are police posts in some of the mining zones closer to the city, for example
in the villages of Nieuw Koffiekamp and Brokopondo Centrum. A lack of man power,
transportation facilities and other resources, however, makes it difficult for officers
stationed at these places to service a larger area including the mining zones. In more
isolated mining zones further into the interior, police and the national justice system are
absent all-together. When they are called in, police agents tend to be poorly equipped and
trained to deal with the SSM scene. And while most police officers try to serve the
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