RECORD REVENUE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1937, Page 11

RECORD REVENUE

WELLINGTON'S YEAR CUSTOMS FIGURES SALES AND BEER TAX The Customs revenue collected at the Port of Wellington in the year just ended was a record for the city. There were also record collections of sales tax, petrol tax, and beer duty. The only tax which showed a decrease was the tyre tax. The figures are a direct reflection of the buoyancy of business, but they must not be taken to indicate a comparison with pre-slump years owing to the amendments which have been made in the duties since the depression set in and consequent upon the recommendations of the Tariff Commission. The following are the amounts collected in the various taxes at Wellington in the last twelve months, together With the figures for 1935:— 1935. 1936. £ £ Customs revenue 2,692,764 3.293,070 Sales tax 870,049 1,084,830 Motor spirit duty 648,922 823,236 Tyre tax 24,662 21,360 Beer excise 58,696 65,734 Totals £4,295,093 £5,288,230 CUSTOMS REVENUE. Net Customs revenue collected at Wellington last nionth totalled £279,546, as against £224,896 for December, 1935, an increase of £54,650. Last month's figure was £58,844 below the £338,390 for November, which was easily a record figure for Wellington. The net Customs revenue collected during the 12 months ended December 31 was £3,293,070, compared with £2,692,764 for the year 1935, an increase of £600,306. The revenue at Wellington from all sources last month totalled £445,397, compared with £355,228 for December, an increase of £90,169. The revenue for the full year is a record.

INCREASE IN PETROL TAX. The duty collected on motor spirit at Wellington last month totalled £51,672 at 6d a gallon and £34,448 at 4d a gallon, a total of £86,120. This compares with £36,694 at 6d a gallon and £24,456 at 4d a gallon, a total of £61,150, for December, 1935, and represents an increase of £24,970, or 40.83 per cent. The amounts collected at 4d a gallon are already included in the net Customs revenue given above, being paid into the Consolidated Fund, as distinct from those at 6d a gallon, which go to the Main Highways Fund. The total duty collected on motor spirit for the twelve months ended December 31, 1936, was £823,236, as against £648,922 for the twelve months of 1935, an increase of £174,314, or 26.86 per cent. Collections of tyre tax at Wellington for December amounted to £1594. compared with £2290 for December, 1935, a decrease of £696. For the twelve months, tyre tax collected amounted to £21,360, compared with £24,662 in 1935, a decrease of £3302. Collections of sales tax during December amounted to £103,411, compared with £82,830 for December, 1935, an increase of £20,581. Last month's figure was £2501 below the month's record of £105,912 for November. Sales tax collected at Wellington during the last twelve months totalled £1,084,830, compared with £870,049 for 1935, an increase of £214,781, or 24.68 per cent This tax came into operation on February 10, 1933. and the total so far collected at Wellington is £2,996,132. Beer excise collected last month reached the high figure of £9174, compared with £8518 for December, 1935, in increase of £656. For the twelve months ended December 31 the total was £65 734, compared with £58,696 ::or 1935, nn increase of £7038.

LAST TEN YEARS. The following tables give the amount collected for each class of tax in the last ten years:— CUSTOMS REVENUE, £ 3936 3,293,070 1935 , 2,242,972 1934 2,357,117 1933 1,949,068 1932 2,048,697 1931 2,263,875 1930 3,056,051 1929 3,111,377 1928 2,644,030 3927 2,612,324 PETROL TAX. £ 1936 823,236 1935 648,922 1934 702,711 1933 700,731 1932 590,253 1931 532,517 1930 443,867 1929 378.915 1928 330,836 1927 BEER EXCISE. £ 1936 65.734 1935 58J96 1934 56.361 1933 54,'138 1932 63.597 1931 56,930 1930 56,686 1929 54,411 1928 53.217 1927 52,213 SALES TAX. £ 1936 1.084,330 1935 870.049 1934 724,988 '1033 459,939 'Tax first imposed, February 10, i 1933. IN OTHER CENTRES

I Christchurch.—Customs revenue and othsr dues collected at Christchurch in 1931! amounted to £301,659 more than in 1935. Revenue under every head iexcspt tyre duty increased greatly. The total from all sources for the year was £1,312.256, compared with £1,510.597 in 1935. The figures are:—Customs, £1(2,854; sales tax, £58,305; beer duty, £12,279; motor spirit tax, £65,604. The figures for December are:—Customs, £90,315 (£77,130); beer duty, £13,324 (£822); sales tax, £37.653 (£28,229); tyre duty. £1075 (£928); motor soirit lax. £28.616 (£17,669).

Dunedin.—A large increase in imports into the Port of Dunedin is shown by the Customs duty paid for the month of December. The figure, £65 793. which is an increase or £9130 over the total for December, 1935, is the largest amount, of duty paid for one <nonth since September, 1934. Sales tax ilso shows a big increase over the figures for December, 1935, giving a good indication of a-ireer circulation

of money for the six weeks preceding Christmas. Substantial increases are revealed in the figures of most departments over the nine-month period. The figures are as follows, the figures for i the corresponding period of last year being given in parentheses:—December: Customs duty, £65.973 f£56,663); beer duty, £28,068 (£28,978); sales tax, £27.139 (£22,855); petrol tax, £17,117 (£14.280); tyre tax, £402 (£480); gold duty. £974 (£2793). Following are the totals for the ninemonth period. April-December: Customs duly. £543,609 (£479,305); beer duty. £201,953 (£179,370); Pales tax, £215.809 (£187,889): petrol tax. £124,459 (£104,040); tyre tax. £5520 .(X\fi43fi)fcgold ;; dutx,_£«l6,4i3 :*&! J4T2W

A comparison for each of the 12 months is given in the following table:--1936. 1935. £ £ January 231,145 221,424 February 229,938 192,631 March 278,953 . 208,137 April 276,460 207,431 May 262,191 249,462 June 259461 188,697 July 289,466 212,083 i August 289,754 243,910 September 283,601 227,827 October 274,365 260,389 November 338,390 255,872 December 279,546 224,896 Total £ 3,293,070 £ 2,242,972