§ 32. Mr. LUNNasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what sums have been paid in taxation by the mining companies of Northern Rhodesia; and what proportion this sum bears to the total revenue?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREIt is not possible to say exactly what proportion of the revenue is contributed by the mining companies, since payments made by them under such heads as licences and rents and Customs are not shown separately from those paid by other companies or individuals. As regards Income Tax alone, the two chief mining companies paid a total of £119,676 in the years 1934 and 1935. The revenue of the Protectorate for those two years totalled £1,590,656.
§ Mr. LUNNIs it not possible for the right hon. Gentleman to obtain information, as he suggested in reply to my previous question?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI believe that in the main the minerals in Northern Rhodesia belong to British South Africa and not to the Government. The Government revenue is derived from the mines from other forms of taxation. The difficulty is to form any scientific comparison between the revenues from minerals which belong to the natives or to companies or to the Government in the various African territories, because they are all different.