SINGLETON Council will call on NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell to return to Singleton 30 per cent of royalties paid by coal mining companies in the shire. Royalties, based on extracted tonnages, are paid to the government for the right to mine. The call for a 30 per cent share of the money is in line with a campaign by 70 New South Wales councils through the Association of Mine Related Councils. Cr John Martin successfully moved the Singleton motion this week to add weight to a submission which is due to be made by a delegation from the association. “The association’s campaign is based on all forms of mining, such as gold, tin, copper, zinc and cobalt, but in the Hunter it’s coal,” Cr Martin said. “This is not an extra tax we’re asking for, it’s simply a fairer share of what the government already collects. “The Coalition made certain promises before the last state election about returning royalties to the mining regions for things such as roads, rail and even social infrastructure and we want to ensure that the promises eventuate.”