The Zambian government has been urged to reduce mineral royalty tax for the emerald and semi- precious minerals sector from current 2 percent to 0.5 percent, Times of Zambia reported on Wednesday.

Chairman of Emerald and Semi-precious Minerals Association of Zambia (ESMAZ) George Shaba was quoted as saying in Ndola, capital of Copperbelt province, that the mining of semi-precious stones need incentives and it will serve the industry well if it is given the same incentives as base metals such as copper which currently attracts 0.02 percent in royalty.

Shaba said on Tuesday that currently there is a duplication of taxes like area charges and flat rates which is proving retrogressive to the growth of the industry.

He also called for adequate information to be given on the geology of the Ndola Rural Emerald Restricted Area as presently licenses have been given without sufficient information on the area.

This has led to investors losing vast amounts of money after mining in non-productive areas, he said.

Deep green and valuable emeralds currently come from two countries in the world, Zambia and Colombia.

Zambian emeralds command premium prices due to their reputation for high quality in terms of color, clarity and size, the newspaper reported.

Shaba said Zambian gemstones were graded the best in the world surpassing Colombian stones at a recent emerald exhibition held in Atlanta, where major emerald producers exhibited their products.

Source: Xinhua