Postcards

Press, 24 August 1976, Page 23

Postcards

Readers are invited to submit letters relating to travel or tourism to: The Travel Editor, “The Press,” P.O. Box 1005, Christchurch. Correspondents must abide by the conditions set down on the leader page for general correspondence.

A. WELLS. — The Customs Department has already released two explanatory bulletins on the tax; and it seems likely that more will follow. A travel agent should be willing to let you read them.

ANDREA CUMMINGS. — The premium will cost about $3O; a sound investment, particularly if you have the misfortune of being admitted to hospital.

V. N. MARTIN. — New Zealand currency is used in the Cook Islands. It is augmented bv coinage minted for local use only. The dollar coin, bearing the symbol of the god. Tangaroa. is popular with collectors. But beware — local coins are not negotiable outside the Cook Islands. Travel tax ■ Sir, —I would be grateful if you would clarify these points concerning the new travel tax. I have a sister in Canada who has joined a club which Vvill fly her from Vancouver to Auckland and back in September 1977. Will she have to pay the tax? While here she would also like to fly from Auckland to Sydney and back to Auckland. If she books this in Canada will she have to pay the tax? and can she book herself

on an Epic fare across the Tasman in Canada; or would I have to do that for her and thereby have to pay tax? Are you able to go to Australia on an Epic fare first class; or is it just economy? Yours, etc., MRS P. WILSON. Your sister will not have to pay any travel tax providing that all her tickets are issued and paid for before she leaves Canada. The tax would be applied if her trans-Tasman epic tickets were bought in New Zealand Epic tickets cannot be bought in Canada, and your sister would be well advised to get them h.-«>- but ensure that she is aware of (and complies with) the special conditions applying to these fares. Epic-type concessions are for economy-class travel only. First class travel is not subject to discounts. — Travel Editor.

Sir,—My family and I have been invited to Canada for Christmas by my mother who . has kindly offered to pay the entire fare. She intends to send us either the funds for the fare, or to simply mail us

the tickets. If she does the latter is she, as a Canadian resident, liable to the New Zealand foreigntravel tax? If so, how does she pay it and how do we prove it has been paid prior to departing? There is no question of New Zealand funds being involved, so 1 feel that the Government is operating outside its authority. Yours etc., P.J. BALDWIN.

Sorry, but in your case there seems to be no way of avoiding the tax. The Customs Department states that “if travel is prepaid overseas to enable a person in New Zealand to travel, the ticket supplied to that person is taxable.” So even if your mother buys the tickets in Canada and mails them to you, the tax will still be charged when you check in at the airport. Although the regulations were designed to save overseas exchange, the Department — at this stage — is not prepared to waive the tax where tickets are purchased overseas for travel from New Zealand. Why not invite your mother here? The same regulations state that “if travel is prepaid in New Zealand to enable a pe.son to travel to New Zealand, it will not be taxable.” Confused? So is the whole travel industry. —Travel Editor.

Sir, —From the points of interest at the end of your article I gather that overseas tourists making for-eign-travel bookings during their stay in New Zealand will be required to pay the 10 per cent tax. Would you please quote the relevant part of the Act as I am concerned that my sister, now an American citizen who will be visiting New Zealand in October, will be faced with additional costs as she intends making a return trip to Australian and Papua-New Guinea during her stay here. I must say that while I appreciate the need to ease the demand for overseas exchange. I feel that it is quite wrong of the Government to take more from overseas visitors who can only help the position. Yours, etc., R.H. WATTS.

Ticketing for your sister's visit to Australia and

should be finalised bei fore she leaves the United States. Thfe tax would only be applied if the tickets were bought in New Zealand. She might also find it | cheaper to buy a through ticket from the United States to Austrai lia — one which would, of course, permit a stop-over in New Zealand. —Travel Editor.

Touragram

Sir,— I enjoy these puzzles very much. They help me with my social studies. I always do them, or try to. The last one I did was on Australia. There were only three questions which I could not answer. So I have tried them all this time. Thank you. Yours, etc.. WENDY BELL (Greymouth).

We are happy to know that the touragrams are helping you with your studies, Wendy. Quite a number of schools are "now trying them as class projects.—Travel Editor.

Travel on Tuesday again with ‘The Press’ on September 7