Freeport pays $320m to government in 2nd quarter

Copper and gold mine giant PT Freeport Indonesia paid a total of US$320 million in taxes, royalties and other financial obligation to the government during the April to June period, this year.

The company said that the payment included corporate income taxes of $255 million, employee taxes, local taxes and other taxes worth $18.5 million, royalties of $27.3 million and dividend amounting to $18.7 million.

The company?s spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan said in Jakarta on Tuesday the total funds paid by Freeport to the government reached $620 million or about Rp 5.7 trillion during the first semester of this year.

He said that Freeport had paid a total of $7.5 billion to the government since 1992 until June, this year. (*)