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No change to mining royalties in Australian review

  • : Coal, Coking coal, Metals
  • 15/06/24

The Australian government's review of the federation system of government sees no need to change the way mining royalties are applied.

The review is largely a study of the tax system as Canberra has the largest taxation power taking more than 80pc of the country's total tax income.

The recommendation of no change to mining royalties, which are set by Australia's state governments follows the decision last year by the Liberal-National coalition government to repeal the federal mining tax, also known as the Mineral Resource Rent Tax (MRRT), on iron ore and coal producers.

The federal government also has a tax review under way. The Australian Industry (Ai) Group said in a submission to the government's tax review that Canberra should look at the prospect of replacing state-based royalties on minerals such as coal and iron ore with a federal profits-based mining tax.

The Liberal-National government repealed the MRRT last September. The MRRT was brought in by the former Labor-led government and came into law on 1 July 2012 following a bitter debate. The Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales state governments each accused Canberra of intruding into their tax jurisdiction, as the states and not the federal government own onshore minerals.

km/rjd



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25/05/01

GM cuts guidance on up to $5bn tariff exposure

GM cuts guidance on up to $5bn tariff exposure

Houston, 1 May (Argus) — Automaker General Motors (GM) revised its 2025 guidance lower today to reflect $4bn-5bn of exposure to auto tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Full-year 2025 profit guidance was lowered to a $8.2bn-10.1bn range, from the $11.2bn-12.5bn guidance given in the company's fourth quarter earnings call earlier this year. The new guidance takes into account clarifications to tariffs already imposed on automakers earlier this week. GM's tariff exposure includes $2bn of vehicles imported from South Korea and tariffs on autos imported from Mexico and Canada, as well as "indirect material imports." GM said it expects to offset 30pc of the exposure by producing an additional 50,000 full-size trucks/yr at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant and expanding battery module assembly in the US. GM will also work to ensure its supply chain is US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) compliant and nearshore its production, executives said. More than 80pc of GM's supply chain is USMCA compliant, most of which is based in the US. US president Donald Trump on 29 April offered to offset a 25pc tariff on imported auto parts scheduled to be imposed on 3 May and to exempt auto parts from accumulating these and and other import tariffs. Trump imposed a 25pc tariff on imported cars on 3 April. GM on 29 April rescheduled its earnings call but released its first quarter earnings on schedule that day. The company reported sales of 693,000 vehicles in the US in the first quarter, up by 17pc from the prior-year quarter. Electric vehicle (EV) sales rose by 94pc to 32,000 units in the same period. Global sales rose by 7pc to 1.44mn vehicles in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2024. GM posted a $2.8bn profit in the first quarter, down by 7pc from a year earlier, which was partially attributed to higher costs. By Marialuisa Rincon Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US factory activity contracts for 2nd month in April


25/05/01
25/05/01

US factory activity contracts for 2nd month in April

Houston, 1 May (Argus) — US manufacturing activity contracted in April for a second month, as output and new orders slowed on tariff policy uncertainty, while price gains accelerated. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 48.7 in April, down from 49 in March and the lowest since last November. The threshold between contraction and expansion is 50. The two-month contraction in manufacturing activity follows a two-month expansion preceded by 26 consecutive months of contraction. ISM's services PMI, a separate report that tracks the biggest part of the economy, showed nine months of expansion through March. "Demand and production retreated and de-staffing continued, as panelists' companies responded to an unknown economic environment," ISM said Thursday. "Prices growth accelerated slightly due to tariffs, causing new-order placement backlogs, supplier delivery slowdowns and manufacturing inventory growth." The manufacturing data follows a report Wednesday that showed the US economy contracted at an annualized 0.3pc pace in the first quarter as businesses boosted imports and stocked up on goods ahead of US import tariffs. The ISM's new-orders index came in at 47.2, higher than 45.2 in March but showing contraction for a third month. The production index fell to 44, showing a deepening contraction from 48.3 in the prior month. Employment rose by 1.8 points to 46.5, showing a slowing contraction. New export orders contracted faster at 43.1 in April, while imports entered contraction at 47.1 after barely growing, at 50.1, the prior month. The prices index rose to 69.8, up from 69.4 the prior month and signaling quickening expansion. The inventories index fell by 2.6 points to 50.8, marking a second month of expansion after six months of contraction. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Some Liberty Speciality creditors oppose restructuring


25/05/01
25/05/01

Some Liberty Speciality creditors oppose restructuring

London, 1 May (Argus) — Liberty Speciality Steel in the UK could potentially face insolvency after all Greensill creditors and a number of "other" creditors voted against its restructuring plan, sources at the company told Argus . There was a restructuring plan hearing held on 30 April, where all Greensill creditors and over three quarters of "other" creditors opposed the restructuring, which will now be voted on by a judge at the sanction hearing on 15-16 May. Should the judge deem those creditors positions' unreasonable, their vote can technically be overruled. But sources that attended the hearings suggest they will likely be taken into account, meaning the restructuring plan could fail, and the company potentially face insolvency shortly afterwards. However, UK HMRC, Together Commercial Finance and GFG creditors voted in favour of the plan — Liberty Steel is part of the GFG Alliance. "We had a productive meeting and the meeting chair, from Begbies Traynor, is now reviewing and analysing the feedback we received so we can proceed to the next stage in the process", a Gupta Family Group Alliance spokesperson said. Prior to the plan Speciality Steel was subject to a winding up petition by several creditors, having produced intermittently in recent years under mounting cash pressures. Asked about the potential for the government stepping in under its newly passed Steel (Special Measures) bill, a department for business and trade spokesperson refused to comment, but sources suggest the government has no plans to use the powers more widely at present. A GFG spokesperson previously declined to comment on the idea of government intervention in Speciality Steel. Speciality Steel has two electric arc furnaces, the T Furnace for Speciality Steels and N Furnace for Engineering Steels. Via its Stocksbridge High Value Manufacturing business it can conduct vacuum induction melting, vacuum arc remelting and supplies high-profile sectors such as aerospace. The company's Rotherham site has the Thyrbergh bar mill, a 750,000t/yr facility that could complement British Steel's longs range. Liberty's plate mills in Scotland, which are unaffected by the Speciality Restructuring, have previously been supplied with British Steel slab. By Colin Richardson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Tariff pressure, supply relief weigh on tin prices


25/05/01
25/05/01

Tariff pressure, supply relief weigh on tin prices

London, 1 May (Argus) — Downward pressure from US tariffs and easing supply constraints prompted a sharp price drop on the official three-month tin contract on the London Metal Exchange (LME) in April, erasing much of the gains made through the first quarter of this year. Prices on the LME's official three-month tin contract dipped to $31,775-$31,825/t on 30 April, down by 20pc from a three-year high of $38,125-38,175/t on 2 April, but up from a month-to-date low of $29,550-29,600/t on 9 April. This decline scrubbed much of the steady increase made over the first quarter when tin prices climbed in response to tighter supply from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and mining restrictions in Myanmar. Tight concentrate supply drives 1Q price increases Tin prices rose steadily throughout the first quarter after a major escalation in the conflict in eastern DRC interrupted supply from artisanal and industrial cassiterite mining and a major earthquake in Myanmar disrupted plans to lift a mining ban in the autonomous Wa region. Rwanda-backed militia group M23 launched a fresh push through eastern DRC in late January, seizing control of key mineral-trading towns Goma and Bukavu before expanding west towards the town of Walikale and Alphamin's Bisie tin concentrate mine. The 25,000 t/yr capacity mine was evacuated on 13 March, raising concerns about a supply shortage and prompting a 6pc day-on-day increase in the official three-month LME tin contract. Warehouses in Goma and Bukavu that held artisinally mined cassiterite ore also were raided, with multiple containers of material having been stolen, market participants told Argus . These supply concerns were compounded on 28 March when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar. Authorities in Wa state have upheld a mining ban in the region since August 2023, but in March, they confirmed plans to roll out a licensing scheme that will allow companies to restart mining operations. The earthquake delayed these plans by a few weeks, prompting further concerns about the stability of future supply and causing another spike in the three-month LME tin contract to a three-year high. Myanmar is the third-largest producer of tin concentrates after China and Indonesia, but most of the tin concentrates produced in the country are exported to neighbouring China for processing. Chinese imports of tin concentrates last year fell to 76,000t, from 187,000t in 2022, before the Wa state mining ban. Wa state is home to Man Maw, the largest tin mine in Myanmar. Prices fall in April But despite the first-quarter gains, tin prices faced strong downward pressure in April. Tariff increases announced by US president Donald Trump sparked uncertainty about long-term demand and caused prices to fall by $8,575/t from 2-9 April, a decline of more than 22pc. Trump's April tariff announcements are expected to dampen global trade and triggered fears of an economic recession, which would weigh on demand for base metals such as tin. And the supply constraints that triggered such strong price increases in the first quarter eased after M23 withdrew from towns close to the Bisie mine, enabling Alphamin to implement a phased restart of operations from 15 April. But the towns of Goma and Bukavu, as well as many artisanal mining sites, remain under M23's control. Authorities in Wa state also were able to progress plans to resume mining operations, having officially released details of a new licensing scheme and meeting with Man Maw's former operators on 23 April. But it could take some months for Man Maw's production to ramp up as companies apply for new licenses, Chinese workers apply for visas and parts of the mine's underground sections may need to be de-watered, the International Tin Association said. By Sian Morris Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Indonesia's coal power phase-out hinges on funding


25/05/01
25/05/01

Indonesia's coal power phase-out hinges on funding

Manila, 1 May (Argus) — Indonesia's accelerated coal-fired power phase-out plan hinges on private-sector and international partners financial support, the country's energy ministry said, after issuing further guidance last month. Indonesian energy ministry ESDM published a ministerial regulation in early April outlining the criteria and processes for the early retirement of coal-fired power plants. But the plan will not be carried out if there is no clarity over funding for its energy transition efforts, in which case Jakarta will continue to prioritise domestic energy production, including through fossil-based sources, ESDM said this week. The Indonesian government will not use its state budget or funds from state-owned utility PLN to fund the early retirement of coal-fired plants, ESDM said. The new regulation details the evaluation processes for retiring coal-fired plants early, and emphasises the need for financial support from private-sector or international partners to achieve an accelerated phase out. Policy makers will evaluate the impact of a plant's retirement on the country's electricity grid, power supply and electricity tariffs, among other factors, when considering its phase out, ESDM said. It will also take into account aspects of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) climate financing pact signed with rich nations in 2022, such as the livelihood of employees affected by the phase-out, as well as a plant's capacity, age, utilisation, greenhouse gas emissions and economic value. The availability of foreign and domestic technological support will also be considered; according to ESDM. US president Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the JETP raised concerns earlier this year on whether Indonesia could stick to its energy transition policies, but the country recently secured $60mn in JETP funding to develop a solar project . State-owned utility PLN will be tasked with studying the technical, legal, commercial and financial aspects of decommissioning plants that are put forward for early retirement, including funding sources. It will have to submit a report to the ministry no later than six months from the date a plant is identified for decommissioning, ESDM said. The share of renewables in Indonesia's power mix is expected to rise to around 21pc by 2030 and 41pc by 2040, according to think-tank Ember. By Antonio delos Reyes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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