BEFORE THE UTAH STATE TAX
COMMISSION
_____________________________________
XXXXX
formerly XXXXX ) INFORMAL DECISION
XXXXX ) Appeal No. 87-0288
Petitioner, : Mine Occupation Tax
v. : Audit Period: XXXXX
AUDIT DIVISION
OF THE :
UTAH STATE TAX COMMISSION, :
Respondent. :
_____________________________________
STATEMENT OF CASE
This
matter came before the Utah State Tax Commission for an informal hearing on
XXXXX. James E. Harward heard the
matter for and in behalf of Tax Commission.
XXXXX, represented the Petitioner.
XXXXX, represented the Respondent.
The Petitioner operates an open-pit gold mine in XXXXX County,
Utah. Because of the nature of the
Petitioner's business it is subject to the Utah Mine Occupation Tax. The Petitioner uses a carbon-in-leach
process to extract gold from processed ore.
The Petitioner claims that the carbon-in-leach process is the functional
equivalent to heat smelting and therefore claims deductions for those expenses
occurred in the carbon-in-leach process in calculating its Utah Mine Occupation
tax for XXXXX pursuant to Utah Code Ann.59-5-102(a)(iii). The Respondent has disallowed the deductions
claimed by the Petitioner and have imposed an additional tax of $$$$$.
DISCUSSION
Utah Code Ann.59-5-102(a)(iii) states that:
"If a mill or other reduction works is operated exclusively in connection
with a mine, the mill or reduction works shall be treated as a part of the
mine, and the cost of operating the mill or reduction works shall, for the
purpose of fixing the occupation tax imposed by this chapter, be regarded as
part of the cost of mining and cost of assaying, sampling, smelting, refining,
and transportation only shall be deducted." All parties agree that this is the applicable code section which
applies to the circumstances affecting the Petitioner. It appears from this code section that the
Legislature is attempting to draw a line between mining and processing. The question before the Commission is, what
constitutes reduction works? The Petitioner claims the carbon-in-leach process
is the functional equivalent of smelting and does not fall within the
definition of reduction works as contemplated by the statute. The term "reduction works" is
defined by the U. S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Mines, in A Dictionary
of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms (1968) as follows: "Works for reducing
metals from their ores, as a smelting works, cyanide plant, etc." It would appear from this definition of
"reduction works" that all processes after the ore is extracted from
the mine would fall within the definition of the reduction work. This, by itself, would include smelting;
however, the statute goes on to specifically identify smelting, sampling,
assaying and refining as a cost which can be deducted. The statute does not identify leaching
specifically nor define the term "leaching" in terms of the statute
and its application. The
carbon-in-leach process is a hydrometallurgical extraction of the base metal,
i.e. gold, from those impurities with which it has been chemically combined or
physically mixed as in the ores, (Dictionary Mining Supra, pg. 133). In the process, a solvent is introduced to
the ore to dissolve the gold from the ore. Elemental gold is then recovered
from the solvent either by absorption onto an inert material or directly by
electrolytic deposition. The solvent is
continually re-used in the process. In
contrast, smelting is typically understood as a pyrometallurgical extraction
process which uses heat to separate the base metal from chemical and physical
impurities. In the pyrometallurgical
process, impurities are vaporized and driven off as a gas or they float to the
top of the molten material or poured off in the form of slag. The carbon-in-leach extraction process is a
relatively new method of hydrometallurgical extraction. In many cases this modern leaching method
has replaced pyrometallurgical smelting or as permitted recovery of the base
ore where pyrometallurgical smelting recovery would not be economically
feasible. The Petitioner has pointed out that the pyrometallurgical process of
smelting and the hydrometallurgical process of carbon-in-leach both employ a
chemical change to the gold for the purpose of extraction. This is to be distinguished from
concentrating ore into a higher grade material without chemical separation or extraction. It is implied through this argument that the
Petitioner agrees that the processes of concentrating ore is not a deductible
expense for the purposes of mine occupation tax. But, the line to be drawn between what should be deductible and
what should not be deductible is when there is a chemical reaction which takes
place that separates the base metal from its impurities. This chemical reaction
takes place both in the pyrometallurgical smelting and the hydrometallurgical
smelting process used by the Petitioner.
The Petitioner would urge the Tax Commission to recognize that a
reduction works for the purposes of the application of the mine occupation tax
apply to crushing, grinding, commutation, and concentration of the ore and that
the costs of chemically changing, either through a pyrometallurgical or
hydrometallurgical process, is deductible for purposes of the application of
the statute. The Tax Commission agrees
with the Petitioner that under the circumstances of the Petitioner where the
ore is physically removed to the processing plant where it is mixed with the
sodium cyanide to dissolve the gold and an actual change takes place, that the
carbon-in-leach process is the functional equivalent of a pyrometallurgical
smelting process. The carbon-in-leach
process under these facts will not be construed as a reduction work or a
concentration process which is a non-deductible expense for the purpose of the
mine occupation tax. The Tax Commission
by issuing this decision does not decide in situ leach mining, or pad leaching,
as it relates to the mine occupation tax.
That type of process will continue to be treated as a mining expense.
DECISION AND ORDER
The
order of the Utah State Tax Commission is that the request of the Petitioner be
granted. That the audit be adjusted to
reflect a credit for the deduction of expenses for the carbon-in-leach process
and resulting reduction in taxes due.
DATED
this 5 day of October, 1988.
BY ORDER OF THE UTAH STATE TAX COMMISSION.
R. H. Hansen Roger
O. Tew
Chairman Commissioner
Joe B.
Pacheco G.
Blaine Davis
Commissioner Commissioner
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