CUSTOMS RETURNS BUOYANCY CONTINUES

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1934, Page 11

CUSTOMS RETURNS

BUOYANCY CONTINUES

SALES TAX RECORD

Another improvement is revealed in the returns of Customs revenue collected at Wellington this month as compared with the figures for September, 1930. The increase is not so marked as it has been in recent months, but September is usually a fairly quiet period from the Customs point of view, and next month's returns should be substantially bigger. A new record has been mado in the sales tax returns, which arc- taken as a reliable guide to business turnover. The net Customs revenue (his month amounted to £168,9(38, an increase of ,£L'4,411 over the total for September, 1030, which was £144,557. To date this year tlie net; Customs revenue has produced £1,661,100, compared with £1,405,695 for the corresponding nine months of last year, an increase of £255,405. The following is a comparison of the monthly figures for this year and last: — . 193-1. 1933. £ £ January 194,707 182,059 .February 153,697 151,625 March 179,703 149,167 April 182,126 136,913 May 196,056 157,551 June 154,052 148,706 July ........ 211,351 152,248 August 220,440 182,869 September ... 168,968 144,557 Totals ... 1,061,100 1,405,095 Ifevenue from motor* spirit this month, with the figures for September, 1933, in parentheses, was as follows: — At lid per gallon, £27,064 (£31,009); at 4d per gallon, £18,649 (£20,673); total, . £4.6,613 (£51,682). Tho decrease ■ this month was £5060. The amounts collected at 4d per gallon are paid into tho Consolidated Fund and are included in the net Customs figures 'given .above, whereas the 'revenue from the '(id tax goes to the Main Highways Fund. So far this .year petrol taxation has produced £517,i3^,an increase of £10,431 on last year. Tire tax this month produced £1587, a decrease of £9 on'the total for Soptomber, 1933, when .tho.: amount was £1596. ' For the nine months the tax has.yielded £15,375,. compared with £12,815 in the same period last year, an increase.of £2560...

The new high, level reached by the sales tax this month was £62,502, compared with £49,174 for Soptember, 1933; an increase of £13,328. Tho total amount collected under this heading this year is £507,009, and' since the tax camo' into operation ,on February 10, 1933, £966,946 has been collected. Tho beer exciso figures show a decrease this month, but an increase for the nine months this year. The figures, with those of last year in parentheses, are:— Soptomber, £3010 (£4435); January-September, £38,086 (£37,243). Tho increase iv the latter instance is £843.