FREEPORT PAYS RP13 TRILLION TO GOVT

Jakarta Forum - Jakarta, PT Freeport Indonesia paid Rp13 trillion or US$1.4 billion in various obligations from January to December 2009 to the Indonesian government, it said in a statement on Monday.

It said the obligations include corporate income tax, regional tax, employees` income tax and other kinds of taxes totaling US$1 billion, royalties worth US$128 million and dividends reaching US$213 million.

The figures are bigger than the previous year`s reaching US$1.2 billion. "This happens because of price fluctuations and production levels," it said.

So, total financial obligations based on the 1991 contract paid by the company to the Indonesian government since 1992 to 2009 total US9.5 billion.

The payouts consist of corporate income tax, employees` income tax, regional tax and a number of other taxes totaling US$7.6 billion, royalties totaling US$1 billion and dividends reaching US$900 million.

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