Equal benefits for resource landowners

THE Government, under Prime Minister James Marape, have good economic in-roads for our country to be a rich black nation in the world.
With all our resources are good security to create and bring in more investors. However, one thing people in all these sectors must not lose sight of is the resource owners and equitable levies securities for indigenous customary landowners of these resources.
With the current resource policy, in general, there are little benefits for customary landowners, in terms of royalty payments.
However, it is understood that whoever holds the license enjoys the resource levies.
The Government should equalise the component of levies of all resources to create equitable levies securities for the customary landowners so they receive more benefits by the company and the Government.
By doing this, the license to own the resources must be given to the customary landowner company as trustees of the affected landowners and by the equitable levies policy, the landowner company can lease the resources license to the investor and developers, creating equitable levies securities for the customary landowners to be the private trust funds paying tax to the Government.
The benefit of the resources are equally shared between the Government, the leaseholder and the license resource owners, guided by a law.
An equitable levies policy for landowners must be introduced by the Government for everyone’s benefit.

Christopher W Taweg