The Press WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1961. New Customs Tariff

Press, Volume C, Issue 29635, 4 October 1961, Page 12

The Press WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1961. New Customs Tariff

The most important principle of the Customs Amendment Bill, now before Parliament, may seem academic, because import control must remain until New Zealand’s overseas reserves are rebuilt. While that is being done New Zeaiand industries will not need to rely on the new tariff for protection. But in completely revising the tariff Parliament is not legislating for this year or next year but for 10 or 20 years. Indeed, the new tariff will not come into force until halfway through next year. The Legislature, then, has a duty to make sure that this measure does what it sets out to do, so that when economic stability is restored the cumbersome licensing machinery (which has so signally failed in its purpose) can be discarded. Then in any future trading crisis the Government of the day will be free from long-term commitments to importers and will be able to take remedial action more quickly, by exchange rationing, for example. If Parliament is to perform this task intelligently it must have the advice of those actively engaged in commerce as manufacturers, importers, retailers, or financiers. The new tariff schedule is a large document and makes so many changes that its explanation to businessmen requires the issue of a large book and the training of lecturers. The ordinary member of Parliament, witn many other calls on his time, can hardly be

expected to master the contents in the time remaining before the bill h debated Naturally,, all interests affected will make the best of their own case; but they should be able to give Parliament a fair idea of how the tariff will work in practice. The revision of the tariff, based largely on the careful survey by the old Board of Trade under Sir David Smith, has other purposes besides protection of New Zealand industry. While safeguarding the revenue, the revision greatly simplifies the whole structure of the tariff and brings it into line with overseas practice It also simplifies the calcu lation of duty by doing away with such things as primage, surtax, complicated calculations of value, and an arbitrary writing up of Australian values, some of which were patently absurd. A simple multiplication sum will show the duty on any article, not only saving a great deal of valuable time for all concerned but also lessening the opportunity for irritating errors. The Opposition wisely, and generously, has complimented the Government on completing a task in which it was interrupted by the 1957 election. The general public will not find much to interest' them immediately in the proposals, though they wili notice some price changes next July; but they may be assured that the reform will improve New Zealand’s trading relations, with the rest of the world at a time when this has become a matter of first importance.