Mpact Limited provided earnings guidance for the six months ended 30 June 2016. The company expects its basic earnings per share and headline earnings per share for the six months ended 30 June 2016 to be lower than the previous corresponding period by at least 20%. Group revenue is expected to increase by approximately 6% with an estimated earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) decline of between 4% and 9% when compared to revenue of ZAR 4,414 million and EBIT of ZAR 342 million reported in June 2015. The expected decline in EBIT is attributable to lower sales of containerboard and a slower than anticipated ramp-up of Mpact Polymers, partially offset by an improved performance in the rest of the Paper and Plastics businesses. The effective tax rate is anticipated to be above the statutory tax rate. Consequently, both EPS and HEPS are expected to be between 90 and 100 cents per share, a decrease of between 26% and 33% compared to the corresponding period.