Danzer Group has rejected Greenpeace’s latest attack on the firm as a “populist gimmick”.
The environmental group accused Danzer, the world’s largest manufacturer of hardwood veneers, of “massive tax fraud” by depriving the governments of the Democratic Reupblic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo out of millions of euros in taxes.
Greenpeace said the loss was approximately €8m – 50 times the annual budget of DRC’s environment ministry.
Danzer issued a statement rejecting the allegations as without foundation and said it paid taxes regularly, as well as investing €3m annually into social programmes in both countries.
It said taxes in the Congo Basin, the world’s second largest rainforest, were paid on concession surface area, on the volume of harvested timber and on export volume. Since 2003, it said it paid more than €10m in taxes and contributions.
“For years Greenpeace has been attempting to tarnish the reputation of Danzer Group by floating rumours, making defamatory statements and spreading half-truths,” Danzer said.
“But constantly repeating false, concocted allegations does not make them true.”
