UNITED STATES DOLLAR
    2016   2015   2014  
9. MINING AND INCOME TAXATION            
  The components of mining and income tax are the following:            
  South African taxation            
  – non-mining tax (1.0)   –   –  
  – company and capital gains taxation (3.9)   (3.5)   (1.7)  
  – prior year adjustment – current taxation 0.3   0.5   (0.3)  
  – deferred taxation (9.5)   17.1   24.9  
  – prior year adjustment – deferred taxation –   –   (3.9)  
  Foreign taxation            
  – current taxation (193.8)   (139.9)   (128.4)  
  – prior year adjustment – current taxation (6.3)   –   (3.8)  
  – deferred taxation 22.1   (116.1)   (4.9)  
  – prior year adjustment – deferred taxation –   (5.2)   –  
  Total mining and income taxation (192.1)   (247.1)   (118.1)  
  Major items causing the Group’s income taxation to differ from the maximum South African statutory mining tax rate of 34.0% (2015: 34.0% and 2014: 34.0%) were:            
  Taxation on profit before taxation at maximum South African statutory mining tax rate (124.4)   (1.5)   (47.1)  
  Rate adjustment to reflect the actual realised company tax rates in South Africa and offshore 22.7   21.8   8.4  
  Non-deductible share-based payments (4.9)   (3.7)   (7.2)  
  Non-deductible exploration expense (15.2)   (7.7)   (10.9)  
  Deferred tax assets not recognised on impairment of investments1 –   (53.2)   (3.6)  
  Non-deductible interest paid (24.2)   (26.9)   (27.7)  
  Non-deductible legal and consulting fees –   –   (2.4)  
  Non-taxable profit on disposal of investments 0.8   –   1.7  
  Non-taxable profit on buy-back of notes 6.0   –   –  
  Share of results of equity accounted investees after taxation (0.8)   (1.9)   (0.8)  
  Net non-deductible expenditure and non-taxable income (9.7)   (8.5)   (8.2)  
  Deferred taxation charge on Peruvian Nuevo Sol devaluation against US Dollar2 (1.1)   (41.0)   (3.1)  
  Various Peruvian non-deductible expenses (8.3)   (7.8)   (8.0)  
  Prior year adjustments (6.0)   (4.4)   (9.1)  
  Deferred tax assets not recognised at Cerro Corona and Damang3 (34.9)   (112.5)   –  
  Deferred tax release on change of tax rate at the Peruvian and Ghanaian operations (2015: Peruvian) 8.6   4.5   –  
  Other (0.7)   (4.3)   (0.1)  
  Total mining and income taxation (192.1)   (247.1)   (118.1)  
 
1 Deferred tax assets not recognised on impairment of investments relate to the impairment of listed investments, FSE, Hummingbird and APP. Refer to note 6 for details of impairments.
2 The functional currency of Cerro Corona is US Dollar, however, the Peruvian tax base is based on values in Peruvian Nuevo Sol.
3 Deferred tax assets amounting to US$34.9 million (2015: US$112.5 million) were not recognised at Cerro Corona and Damang to the extent that there is not sufficient future taxable income available. In making this determination, the Group analysed, among others, forecasts of future earnings and the nature and timing of future deductions and benefits represented by deferred tax assets.
    2016   2015 2014  
  South Africa – current tax rates4        
  Mining tax1 Y = 34 – 170/X   Y = 34 – 170/X Y = 34 – 170/X  
  Non-mining tax2 28.0%   28.0% 28.0%  
  Company tax rate 28.0%   28.0% 28.0%  
  International operations – current tax rates4        
  Australia 30.0%   30.0% 30.0%  
  Ghana3 32.5%   35.0% 35.0%  
  Peru 30.0%   30.0% 30.0%  
 
1 South African mining tax on mining income is determined according to a formula which takes into account the profit and revenue from mining operations. South African mining taxable income is determined after the deduction of all mining capital expenditure, with the proviso that this cannot result in an assessed loss. Capital expenditure amounts not deducted are carried forward as unredeemed capital expenditure to be deducted from future mining income. Accounting depreciation is ignored for the purpose of calculating South African mining taxation. The effective mining tax rate for Gold Fields Operations Limited (“GFO”) and GFI Joint Venture Holdings (Proprietary) Limited (“GFIJVH”), owners of the South Deep mine, has been calculated at 30% (2015: 30% and 2014: 30%).
  In the formula above, Y is the percentage rate of tax payable and X is the ratio of mining profit, after the deduction of redeemable capital expenditure, to mining revenue expressed as a percentage.
2 Non-mining income of South African mining operations consists primarily of interest income.
3 On 11 March 2016, Gold Fields signed a development agreement with the Government of Ghana for both the Tarkwa and Damang mines. This agreement resulted in a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35.0% to 32.5%, effective 17 March 2016.
4 Deferred tax is provided at the expected future rate for mining operations arising from temporary differences between the carrying values and tax values of assets and liabilities.
  At 31 December 2016, the Group had the following estimated amounts available for set-off against future income (pre-tax):
    UNITED STATES DOLLAR
    2016 2015
    Gross unredeemed capital expenditure Gross tax losses Gross
deferred tax asset not recognised		   Gross unredeemed capital expenditure Gross
tax losses		 Gross
deferred tax asset not recognised		  
  South Africa1                
  Gold Fields Operations Limited 606.4 182.3 –   528.2 219.2 –  
  GFI Joint Venture Holdings (Proprietary) Limited2, 3 1,929.2 – 1,132.6   1,586.0 22.2 862.4  
    2,535.6 182.3 1,132.6   2,114.2 241.4 862.4  
  International operations                
  Exploration entities4 – 388.8 388.8   – 345.2 345.2  
  Gold Fields Australia Proprietary Limited5 – 1.2 –   – 1.2 –  
  Abosso Goldfields Limited6 88.8 68.7 157.5   63.9 65.7 129.6  
    88.8 458.7 546.3   65.1 410.9 474.8  
 
1 These deductions are available to be utilised against income generated by the relevant tax entity and do not expire unless the tax entity concerned ceases to operate for a period of longer than one year. Under South African mining tax ring-fencing legislation, each tax entity is treated separately and as such these deductions can only be utilised by the tax entities in which the deductions have been generated. South African tax losses and unredeemed capital expenditure have no expiration date.
2 Comprises US$796.6 million gross recognised capital allowance and US$1,132.6 million gross unrecognised capital allowance (2015: US$723.6 million gross recognised capital allowance and US$862.4 million gross unrecognised capital allowance).
  3 During 2014, the South African Revenue Service (“SARS”) issued a Finalisation of Audit Letter (“the Audit Letter”) stating that SARS has disallowed US$163.4 million of GFIJVH’s gross recognised capital allowance of US$796.6 million. Refer note 35 on Contingent Liabilities for further details.
3 The total tax losses of US$388.8 million (2015: US$345.2 million) comprise US$10.9 million (2015: US$3.8 million) tax losses that expire between one and two years, US$58.9 million (2015: US$62.9 million) tax losses that expire between two and five years, US$41.2 million (2015: US$49.6 million) tax losses that expire between five and 10 years, US$40.6 million (2015: US$40.7 million) tax losses that expire after 10 years and US$237.2 million (2015: US$188.2 million) tax losses that have no expiry date.
5 The tax losses are available to be utilised against income generated by the relevant tax entity and do not expire.
6 Tax losses may be carried forward for five years. These losses expire on a first-in-first-out basis. Tax losses of US$46.3 million expire in two years (2015: three years), tax losses of US$19.4 million expire in four years (2015: five years) and tax losses of US$3.0 million expire in five years.