Hi Ank: 

I thought I was the only one that thinks the windfall tax is bad news (flexible or otherwise) and I now have company.  I am also amazed to see how much energy is wasted on this gimmick tax and yet, as you aptly pointed out, no one even mentioned anything about what the traditional mainstream taxes are going to be.  I guess this is because the political optics that this tax attracts -  

"We, Ecuadorians are keeping our fair share of our natural resources".  This should win a few votes.

Well, this is great for political propaganda but they keep forgetting that business wants cost certainty and absolutlely hates a cost (which is nothing more than a government cash grab) that is ill conceived and virtually impossible to administer. 

For example, is this tax going to be based on the month end spot gold prices?  I know ways to make that price lower.  Afterall I have seen how our ARU share prices are being "massaged" daily.  Will that be based on some kind of average gold price instead to avoid that.  The question is then what period should be used?  The silliness is endless here.  Meanwhile as ARU stated, they have given the government suggested alternatives that would give them the same amount of revenue of a windfall tax and yet that seem to have fallen on deaf ears. 

Now you know why I have to set a personal drop dead date of 12/31/2008 to exist ARU if this continues and SP remains depressed because of it. 

Enough is enough.  I am sure many of us here would share my sentiments.