Papua New Guinea’s Internal Revenue Commission says the logging industry is “one of the most delinquent sectors insofar as tax compliance is concerned“.

The logging companies are guilty of “egregious” transfer pricing, “entrenched” tax evasion and “deceptive behaviour” says the IRC (see the full IRC statements below).

The value and importance of customary land in supporting the lives and livelihoods of most Papua New Guinean’s is being celebrated in a new television advertising campaign launched by ACT NOW!

An arieal view of forest clearance for oil palm planting in West Pomio

By Paul Pavol

The people of West Pomio in East New Britain Province lost most of their land and forest under the controversial, government-backed, Special Agriculture Business Lease scheme. 

By Rex Sos

Heavy logging activity has been going on in Madang Province for the last 50 years.

Some 500,000 hectares of forest have been harvested and unique eco systems destroyed under the name of logging. 

1.  The Forestry Act 1991 is 30 years old and has been weakened by many amendments.

2.  Very limited implementation: most operations are old concession types - Timber Rights Purchase (TRP) / Local Forest Area (LFA). 

3.  Under the Act our forest resource has been depleted; unsustainable harvests + extensive forest clearance. 

4.  Act is completely outdated as the national and international context has changed: 

In November 2019 the Marape government committed to increasing taxes on round log exports as a response to decades of tax evasion and tax avoidance by the logging industry.