CUSTOMS RETURNS

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25741, 1 March 1949, Page 6

CUSTOMS RETURNS

FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY Customs revenue of £315,153, a decrease of £83,748 on the same month last year, was collected in Christchurch in February. The figure for February, 1948, was £398,901. For the 11 months of the present year ended February, 1949, a total of £4,287,661 was collected, compared with £5,284,638 for the corresponding period of 1947-48. Details of the returns for February, with figures for last year in parenthesis, are:—Customs duties, £210,502 (£272,161); petrol duty, £33,218 (£30,368); tyres. £ll4B (£1683); sales tax, £69,156 (£92,687); light dues, £7ll (£478); export levy, hides, nil (£1037); miscellaneous, £4lB (£487). The figures for the 11 months period, with those for the corresponding period of 1947-48 in parenthesis, are Customs duty, £2,424,383 (£3,104.106); petrol duty, £329,807 (£334,097)? tyre duty, £16,770 (£27.693); sales tax, £1,425427 (£1,727,375); tight dues, £JO3S (£7074); export levy, hides, £79,717 (£80.071); miscellaneous, £4352 (£4222). AUCKLAND The lower trend in revenue collected by the Customs Department in Auckland was arrested in February, because of a substantial increase in sales tax, and in the duty on motor spirit. Total revenue for the month, at £896,428, was £61,071 greater than that of February, 1948. For the first two months of the year, a considerable all-round decline is revealed in comparison with figures for the sain* months a year ago. Total revenue is down by £601,459, customs income contributing £383,979 of this fall, and sales tax £120,005, February figures, with those for 1948 in parenthesis, were:—Customs, £526,618 (£559.601); motor spirits. £101.886 (£89,152); tyres, £2672 (£3702); sales tax, £265,254 (£182,902); total, £896,428 (£83,535). For the first two months of 1949 (with comparative figures • for 1948 in parenthesis) were Customs, £865,206 (£1,249.185); motor spirits, £92,539 (£179.852); tyres. £4256 (£14,418); sales tax. £519,558 (£639,563); total, £1,481,559 (£2,083,018). DUNEDIN Slight increases over tire figures for the corresponding month last year in customs revenue and petrol tax are shown in the Customs return for February for the port of Otago. The total, however, showed a decrease of £1392. Comparative figures are (figures for February, 19«, in parenthesis):—Customs, £128.047 (£127,797); sales tax. £41.649 (£45,091); petrol duty. £16,938 (£14,989); tyre duty, £1644 (£1893); total, £188,378 (£189,770).(P.A.)