JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Platinum miners Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Impats) and Lonmin on Thursday strongly refuted allegations by Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) negotiator Brian Ashley that the platinum mining companies “might be guilty of tax and wage evasion”.

Ashley on Thursday told members of the media at a Cape Town Press Club meeting that companies could be moving part of their profits to countries with low or no tax on profits to escape tax and avoid paying higher wages, news agency Sapa reported.

He said his suspicions were based on a comparison of the companies’ annual reports and annual market prices of mineral resources.

Lonmin said in a statement on Friday that the allegations were “without substance and completely false”.

Amplats and Implats added that they did not tolerate fraud and viewed the “inflammatory and unsubstantiated allegations in a very serious light”.

“All taxation activities are subject to careful assessment by the company’s external auditors as well as the country’s tax authorities,” Amplats said in a statement.

Implats added that its audited financial statements and accounts were open for interrogation and scrutiny.

Lonmin echoed these statements pointing out that its financial statements and accounts were readily available on its website.

AMCU had started its strike for a basic wage of R12 500 over a four-year period on January 23 and an intergovernmental task team, set up by newly appointed Mineral Resource Minister Advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi, was currently working on resolving the issue.

“A meeting of the intergovernmental technical task team, the producers and AMCU is currently under way. The producers have heeded the Minister’s call for all parties to show leadership and to seek to reach an agreement during this process. So much is at stake for our companies, our employees, our communities and our country. We respectfully request that AMCU observes the same,” Implats said.

Amplats echoed this statement, also requesting that AMCU refrain from making unsubstantiated and inflammatory comments during this time.

“We reserve the right to take appropriate legal measures if these malicious and unsubstantiated accusations by AMCU and their advisers continue,” Amplats said.