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Resources companies aren’t doing Australia a favour by investing in the country, they’re doing it because there’s money to be made, even with an increasing government take. But the danger for governments with a propensity to fiddle with industry tax regimes is overestimating their willingness to pay. It’s easily overlooked when company bosses warn that changes to Australia’s fiscal regime will force investment capital offshore and make other jurisdictions more attractive that the country still has a lot going for it.

Western Australia has been toppled as the world’s top-rated mining investment destination but remains Australia’s most attractive jurisdiction. The Institute ranks the attractiveness of the world’s mining jurisdictions by measuring their practices, mineral potential and regulatory and fiscal policies based on a poll sent to nearly 2000 people in the mining industry. WA’s drop was blamed on a drop in its policy score, which shunted it from 4th to 10th last year, as miners “expressed increased concern over its taxation regime, uncertainty regarding environmental regulations and regulatory duplication and inconsistencies”, the Fraser Institute report said.

One of Australia’s leading energy analysts says the Federal Government’s changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax means the nation has “lost its competitive advantage” in the lucrative LNG sector.Mr Kavonic warned the changes could lead to the gas industry — already reconsidering Australian investment after east coast policy intervention — thinking twice about the west coast now, too.

The federal government’s tax take is poised to hit its highest level in 15 years thanks to soaring resource sector profits and inflation pushing workers into higher tax brackets. Veteran budget watcher Chris Richardson expects the May 9 budget to reveal tax revenue as a share of the economy will reach 23.8 per cent next financial year, which will be the highest level of collections since 2008.

Get them young and maybe you’ll get them for life — that appears to be Gina Rinehart’s latest play to shore up an appreciation of mining. The billionaire has unveiled a novel counter to the shrill opposition against the industry, launching a kids app to massage the notion that resources are not only necessary to sustain modern living, but they also offer a fabulous career. Margin Call downloaded the game – Roy Hill Mine Tales – and attempted its basic challenges: dynamite was laid, ore was loaded onto a truck, the minerals were crushed, washed with a hose, and, in a final boss challenge, they had to be sucked up and directed into the hull of a barge, probably destined for China.“All I would say is those kids might have a bright future working for the best mining company in Australia, the biggest prize of all.”

Commentary by WAN Editor-in-Chief Anthony De Ceglie courtesy of the West Australian.

The special economic zones, the free zones and industrial zones are set to start a new stage of growth following the packages of incentives, facilities and tax and customs exemptions witnessed last year. Investors are interested in special economic zones, free zones and industrial zones as they accommodate various projects at the time. Last year saw completion of infrastructure facilities supportive to investments at the special economic zone Duqm, mainly Duqm Port.