The Primage Duty.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19785, 25 November 1929, Page 10

The Primage Duty.

Chambers of Commerce arc already agitating* for the removal of the otif per cent, extra primage duty imposed by the Budget on the plea of revenue Heredity, to balance the national accounts; and the agitation i.t ba,*ed on the jrrotind that the larye increase in the vahte of imports and the cr>rts»'quent increase in Customs revenue make it unnecessary to fro on coHccttm* the extra primage, ft is doubtful whether the explanations given at any time justified the imp>*t; bnt even if they did, there is no rfa.son why it should be continued when they cease to do so. The additional duty was intended to meet a particular contingency. If it can be shown that other sources are sufficient to meet it, having expanded beyond the first estimate, th«*n the excuse for this levy on the public's pocket disappears; and the facta strongly suggest that other sources are sufficient. The Customs revenue for the last financial year totalled £7.950,000, and the estimated Customs revenue for the present year was £5,400,000. The otitrated increase of £450,000 includes £300,000 expected from the extra primage, thus leaving £150,000 as the estimate of ordinary expansion. But that this estimate may he considerably exeeeded" is indicated by the import returns to date, which show a very large increase over last year's fijrures for the same period. For the ten months of the present year the value of imports totalled £40,7 M.OOO. compared with a total of £36,715,000 for the ten month-* of la.-t year, showing an increase of over four million pound.-; aiul what is of equal, if not prater, significance is the fact that for the month of October alone the increase was nearly three -quarters of a million. If there is to be any decline in the latter part of the year, it has not yet to show itself. On the contrary it is expected that the remaiiunjr weeks of the year, as stocks for the Christmas trade arrive, will also show an appreciable increase. It therefore aeems as if the mm for to* imposition of. ta« addi-

I tional primage dtitv ha.« been di=- | counted h\ the hwy ni<Tfn=r in im- ; porutinn?. and as if ir> mntnin.w:* | will sorvp mcrrly 1o swell the revenue bevmd t'lf* rrqairr-mfnt® of economical exponditarr.