Mineral tax
Mineral tax compensates the province for the commercial use and depletion of coal and mineral resources. In some cases, the tax revenue is shared with First Nation communities that have a revenue sharing agreement with the province.
Mine operators in B.C. must self-assess and pay mineral tax unless they qualify for an exemption or have only removed non-taxable resources.
Find out how to file and pay your mineral taxes for:
If you own freehold mineral rights, you’ll also need to pay mineral land tax each year.
Taxable resources
The following is a list of taxable resources that are likely to be mined. This isn’t a complete list. If you can’t find the resource you’re looking for, contact us to determine if it’s taxable.
- Metallurgical Coal
- Pulverized Coal Injection (PCI) Coal
- Thermal Coal
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Bismuth
- Chromite
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Iron
- Lead
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Mercury
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Tin
- Tungsten
- Zinc
- Diamonds
- Garnet
- Jade
- Opals
- Rhodonite
- Arsenious oxide
- Asbestos
- Barite
- Bentonite
- Celestite
- Clay
- Diatomaceous Earth
- Diatomite
- Dolomite
- Fluorite
- Graphite
- Gypsum
- Limestone
- Magnesite
- Magnetite
- Marble
- Mica
- Ochre
- Perlite
- Phosphate
- Pumice
- Quartzite
- Salt
- Shale
- Silica
- Sulphur
- Talc
- Volcanic Ash
- Zeolite
- Gold
- Palladium
- Platinum
- Silver
- Cadmium
- Cesium
- Indium
- Niobium
- Radium
- Rhenium
- Selenium
- Thorium
- Uranium
- Andesite
- Flagstone
- Granite
- Sandstone
Non-taxable resources
The following materials aren’t taxable:
- Earth
- Gravel
- Marl
- Peat
- Sand
- Soil
Rock, riprap and stone products are also non-taxable if they're used in the building or maintenance of a road or structure located on land outside the mineral title or group of titles from which they were mined.
