GLOBAL CHANGES IN MINING LAWS, AGREEMENTS AND TAX-SYSTEMS

During the 1990s there has been a shift in exploration investment by m ultinational mining companies into regions that were previously closed or considered too risky, Many nations have introduced changes to thei r mineral policies, mining laws, and fiscal systems, and the author tr aces some of the major regulatory trends in developing, developed and transition economies. The author discusses trends in mining laws and p rovides data on current fiscal systems in 25 tax jurisdictions. The au thor concludes that the effect of recent changes has been to reduce ba rriers to entry and lower risk, thus encouraging increased investment in an ever-increasing number of countries, (C) 1998 Elsevier Science L td. All rights reserved.