CUSTOMS REVENUE

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 November 1939, Page 12

CUSTOMS REVENUE

INCREASE AT GREYMOUTH. Collections at the Customs office, Greymouth, during October, 1939, totalled £16,479/16/4, an increase of £2,706/19/2 as compared with £13,772/17/2 collected in the corresponding month of last year. Customs duties last month amounted to £4,596 15/11 (compared with £4,577/15/10), and sales tax £3,561/4/10 (£3,303 0/11). Gold duty totalled £3,587 18/6. AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, October 31. The Customs figures for October, with the figures for October last year, are:_ 1939. 1938.

WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, October 31. Net Customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington for October shows a very substantial decrease on the totals of recent months, and is the lowest monthly total since April, 1935. The full effect of the import restrictions imposed last December are now beginning to be felt. The total for October, £210,517 shows a decrease of £92,359, compared with October, 1938, and of £201,765 when compared with September, 1939. A new item, war tax, totalling £19,616, is included in last month’s figures. Last month’s figures, with those for

CHRISTCHURCH.

CHRISTCHURCH, October 31.

Increase in revenue from sales tax, beer duty, and miscellaneous items compensated for declines in Customs duties and petrol and tyre taxes in Christchurch last month, and the return of revenue for October, supplied by the Collector of Customs at Christchurch, shows an increase of £1,445 in revenue, compared with that of October, 1938. For the seven months of the financial year, 1939 shows an increase of £78,904. Over the seven months, nearly every item in the return shows an increase, the only notable exceptions being tyre tax and light dues on shipping. Sales tax accounts for the greatest part of the increase—£3s,so3 —but Customs (£14,249), beer duty (£13,149), and petrol tax (£12,248) also show big increases. Detailed figures are as follow: —

DUNEDIN. DUNEDIN, October 31. Although the gross Customs receipts at the port of Otago during the month of October showed an increase over those for the same period last year, a falling-off in some of the individual returns was apparent. Customs duty for the month totalled £47,464, compared with £59,238 for October of last year. Beer duty, however, probably on account of extra taxation, showed an increase of more than £6OOO on that for October, 1938, this year’s figures being £43,818, compared with £37,425 for the previous period.

Sales tax receipts also showed an appreciable increase, £32,091 being collected by this means last month against £26,768 in October last year; but on account of the petrol restrictions, petrol tax for the period showed a decrease of nearly £5OOO, the figures for the last month being £12,324 compared with £17,211 last year. There was a slight falling-off in gold duty returns, which amounted to £1.025 this year against £1,124 last year. Tyre tax also fell slightly, the figures for October and the same period last year being £370 and £556 respectively. Following are the detailed figures for October (shillings and pence omitted, together with the returns for October last year:—

£ £ Customs duty 233,409 343,530 Motor spirit . 54,100 70,464 Tyre duty 1,360 4,494 Excise on beer 31,394 18,931 Sales tax 98,069 99,283 The totals for 10 months, with those for the corresponding period last year, are: — 1939. 1938. £ £ Customs duty . . 2,899,682 2,910,040 Motor spirit 752,938 711,988 Tyre duty 25,954 26,693 Excise on beer 186,386 168,302 Sales tax 908,492 854,975

October, 1938, are: — •' 1939. £ 1938. £ Net Customs 210,517 302,876 Sales tax 116,154 117,675 Beer excise 9,756 6,384 Motor spirit duty 33,095 43,180 Tyre tax 1,264 2,200

April-October. 1938. 1939. £ £ Customs 679,719 692,168 Beer duty 75,550 88,699 Petrol tax 169,668 181,916 Tyre tax 7,131 5,769 Sales tax 256,508 292,011 Light dues 4,425 3,962 Export leviesWool 1,335 1,729 Meat 8,234 9,249 Honey 41 1 Miscellaneous 500 6,511 Totals .. 1,203,111 1,282,015 October. 1938. 1939. £ £ Customs 88,699 74,084 Beer duty 14,352 20,238 Petrol tax 24,604 19,797 Tyre tax 1,033 824 Sales tax 36,405 45,050 Light dues 724 ' 765 Export leviesWool 48 27 Meat 378 923 Honey — — Miscellaneous 69 6,049 Totals 166,312 167,757

Oct.. Oct., 1939. 1938. £ £ Customs fluty . . 47,464 59,238 Beer duty .. 43,818 37,425 Sales tax . . 32,091 26,768 Petrol tax .. 12,324 17,211 Gold duty .. 1,025 1,124 Tyre tax 370 556