Brazil's Ibram asks tax authority to make electronic invoices obligatory for gold trades

Brazilian mining association Ibram asked the tax authority to make electronic invoices obligatory for all gold purchases.

Replacing gold trades recorded on paper – including handwritten ones – will help curb, via traceability, the illegal production and sale of gold, Ibram said in a release.

In recent months, Ibram, as well as other mining stakeholders, have asked the authorities to step up the fight against illegal gold mining, mainly in the Amazon rainforest, which is harming the reputation of companies that operate legally.

Over the weekend, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and some of his ministers visited Boa Vista, capital of far north Roraima state, which is currently facing a health crisis in the Yanomami indigenous territory due to reports of malnutrition and high malaria rates. 

In a TV interview, Lula said he would step up efforts against illegal mining in the area, which has resulted in the pollution of rivers and scared off wildlife, impacting the living conditions of indigenous people.