The Department of Community Development has released the results of its first ever survey of the size of the informal economy - valuing it at K12 billion or 20% of GDP - and recognising its importance as the biggest income generator for families.

Police Minister Jelta Wong has responded directly to ACT NOW’s call for him to confirm the cancellation of all SABL leases and put an end to the police intimidation and harassment of customary landowners. 

In today's Post Courier newspaper, Mr Wong has said, 

Analysis of government data on log exports reveals that only a relatively small percentage of forests illegally acquired under the Special Agriculture Business Lease scheme, have actually been logged.

Of 77 known SABLs, issued between 2003 and 2011 and covering an area of 5,367,765 hectares, a total of 64 leases were designated for agro-forestry activities.

Of those 64 SABLs, covering an area of 5,150,071 hectares, only 13 are known to have been subject to logging activity.

The 13 SABLs where logging activity has been recorded cover an area of 609,788 hectares.

The government has announced the logging industry will be forced to pay more tax through increases to the log export duty.

This comes after a damning report from the Oakland Institute that revealed logging companies are evading corporate taxes by failing to declare any profits year after year and under-declaring log export values.