SYDNEY: Plans by mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto to merge their Western Australian iron ore operations should not be derailed by a new Australian tax on mining profits, BHP chief executive Marius Kloppers said.

Kloppers told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that both parties were keen to pursue the planned joint venture, despite the new 40 percent resource rent tax announced in Canberra a week ago.

"I think Rio and ourselves are very, very committed to the joint venture and I don't think that there is any immediate impact," Kloppers said in a recorded interview.

The new 40 percent resource rent tax has angered the mining industry. Kloppers said although he did not oppose such a tax in principle, it should not only apply to new projects and should involve different rates for different mining products.

The plans by the two miners to merge their Western Australian iron ore operations have upset major customers, particularly in China, and are currently the subject of reviews by regulators in Australia and the European Union.