PARAMARIBO Suriname AP Delivering a stunning economic blow to Suriname's government two aluminum mining companies on Tuesday stopped paying taxes and exchanging their dollars through the national bank. The Suriname Aluminum Co. a branch of Pittsburgh-based Aluminum Company of America and the Suriname Billiton Bauxite Co. claim the government cheated them out of dlrs 17 million over the last 14 months by buying their U.S. currency for half what it is worth. They will only convert enough money to meet their payroll of about 3000 people. Suriname a Dutch-speaking country in South America that is the Western Hemisphere's second-poorest nation after Haiti exports bauxite and finished aluminum worth dlrs 359 million annually. The exports are the country's largest source of hard currency. Under Surinamese law the two companies must change their foreign exchange earnings to Surinamese guilders at the Suriname Central Bank. The service charge for the exchange is one of the largest sources of income for the government. Suriname Aluminum Co. alone exchanged about dlrs 2 million per month through the bank. But the official exchange rate set by the bank is 396 guilders to the U.S. dollar while street prices hover around 700 guilders to the dollar. Natural resources minister Errol Alibux said he had called a meeting with leaders of the two companies to discuss the protest. Suriname has been wracked by unrest linked to rising inflation despite efforts to control the exchange rate. A new sales tax imposed just before Christmas last year outraged workers. Government employees are currently in their fourth week of a strike to demand raises. APW19981201.0724.txt.body.html APW19981201.0991.txt.body.html