CUSTOMS RETURNS

Evening Star, Issue 23564, 1 May 1940, Page 9

CUSTOMS RETURNS

BEER DUTY NEARLY DOUBLED SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR Increases in duty payable and the fact that there were live Mondays in the month of April this year were responsible for a substantial increase in Customs revenue collected at the Port of Otago last month compared with the figures for April of last year. Tho respective totals were £161,598 and £121,757. Beer duty accounted for £19,813 of the increase. Besides the fact of the extra Monday, there is an additional 3d a gallon to pay this year. Customs duties were increased by £9,455 and sales tax by £2,041. Last month £29,412 was collected by this tax, compared with £27,371 in April of last year. Petrol tax showed a decrease of £3,092, as was unlv to bo expected, and tyre lax a drop of ' £139. Cold duty remained at practically the same figure as for tho previous year. The following are the official figures:--

Totals (including miscellaneous _ „„ revenue) --. £161,598 £l2l, iol AUCKLAND Decreases in motor spirit, tyro duty, and sales tax collections are shown in the April Customs return for Auckland, but there were increases in tho yield from Customs duty and Excise on beer. The receipts this month, compared with April, 1939, are as

Tlio not Customs revenue collected at tho Port of Wellington in April shows an increase of £17,229, compared with April, 1939. This increase, however, is entirely duo to the inclusion of approximately £51,000 from the duty on motor spirit at 8d a gallon, compared with about £27,000 at 4d a gallon in April, 1939. The net revenue for tho month, excluding the motor spirit tax, is therefore about £7OO below the figure for last April. Tho war tax in April amounted to £33,656, compared with £30,943 in March and £27,701 in February. The figures for the past month, with those for April, 1939, are as follows: 1940. 1939. £ £ Not Customs revenue ... 282,088 264,859 Sales tax 101,954 120,833 Boer 'Excise 9,987 6,524 Motor spirit duty (at Gd a gallon) 33,466 41,202 Tyro lax ... i 1,757 1,745 CHRISTCHURCH The Christchurch returns for April show a slight increase in the amount of duty collected, the total being £159,267, compared with £155,675. The most notable feature of the returns was the increase in beer duty, which rose from £9,979 in April, 1939, to £10,275 this April. There was a decrease of £4,934 in the petrol tax collections, and the Customs duties on imported goods fell from £77,821 to £75,507. Tho figures for April, 1940, and for April, 1939, are as follows: — 1 1939. 1940.

Apl., 1940. Apl., 1939. £ i; Custom? duties ... 59,76! 50,326 ... 45,356 25.543 ... 29,412 27,371 ... 12,643 15,735 398' bs( Gold duty ... 1,057 1,071

follows; — 1840. 1959. Jo So Customs 234,153 258,866 Motor spirit (6d) ... 63,282 73,985 Tyre duty 2,445 2,828 "Excise on beer ... 30,396 16,647 Sales tax ... ... 90,445 95,428 WELLINGTON

£ £ Customs 77,821 75,507 Beer ... ... 9.979' 18,275 Petrol tax 26,819 21,885 Tj r re tax 387 784 Sales tax 58,926 38,065 Light dues 218 162 Wool levy 473 263 Meat lew 1,014 Hides levy ... ... ... . —. 69 Miscellaneous ... 38 6,252 Totals £155,675 £159,267