Shops lowering price of films

Press, 29 July 1980, Page 16

Shops lowering price of films

Film prices in retail stores have dropped about 30c to 40c after the Government’s Budget announcement to lower sales tax. The Government lowered the sales tax on film from 50 to 40 per cent and increased the tax on photographic plates and similar material from 10 to 40 per cent.

The Government’s announcement came into effect from July 4, but the new prices do not apply until any old stock in the stores has been cleared.

The manager of Kodak’s retail store in Christchurch (Mr G. Hardey) said yesterday that he .had just received notification of the new prices. A Kodak 35mm 24-ex-posure colour print_ film would now cost 54.65 com-

pared with the old price of $4.98. The Government also abolished sales tax refunds on films.

Mr Hardey said that in the months before the Budget an increasing number of people had found that sales tax was refundable on films. In an article in “Consumer” published in July (after the Budget), the procedure for claiming back sales tax is outlined. The article points out that the sales tax refund was “a little-known fact.”

Mr J. S. Ainsworth, the district officer of the Consumers’ Institute, said yesterday that at the time of publication the article was correct but the Budget-night announcement had changed the situation.