SALES TAX ON FOOD

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 February 1947, Page 2

SALES TAX ON FOOD

GROCERS ASK FOR COMPLETE ' REMOVAL FUR COATS ARE EXEMPT (P.A.) GISBORNE, This Day. The Dominion Grocers’ Federation decided to send a deputation to the Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, to press for the removal of the sales tax from all foodstuffs. An Auckland remit sponsoring the abolition, pointed- out that the abolition of sales tax on furniture and building materials represented a saving to only a minority section of the public. It was anomalous that luxury items such as fur coats were sales .tax free, while cocoa and other children’s foods were taxable at the rate of 20 per cent. At the ojaening of the conference, the Minister of Supply, Mr Sullivan, said that the question was being reexamined. It was also decided to draw the attention of the Minister of Marketing to the fact that honey was not passing through the normal channels* because it was being sold, at prices in excess of those authorised, direct to a limited section of the public by certain apiarists and manufacturers for manufacturing purposes, and to urge that immediate action be taken to direct that all honey should be retailed through the recognised channels at the authorised price. It was further decided that the Minister be urged to initiate immediate inquiries with a view to securing importation of the commodity from Australia or elsewhere and investigate the adequacy or otherwise of the maximum price payable to the producer.