EXEMPTION FROM PRIMAGE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 35, 25 January 1932, Page 5

EXEMPTION FROM PRIMAGE

SEVERAL FARMING NECESSITIES SURTAX REDUCED ON OTHERS. In addition to the subsidy on the manufacture of fertilisers, a 12J per cent, rebate on county rates, and the inc. oased scope of the Mortgagors Relief Act, the Government has now offered further assistance to farmers by exempting from primage certain agricultural necessities imported into the country, and reueing the surtax on others. By Order-in-Council the following goods have been exempted from the 3 per cent, primage duty:— Sheep dip. Traction engines and tractors. Wire-netting. Iron wire of all kinds. Agricultural seeds (other than grain or pulse) for agricultural seed purposes. REDUCTION OF SURTAX. A reduction of surtax from ninefortieths of the total duty to onetwentieth of the total duty has been allowed on two other classes of goods: Cartridges, shot 10 to 24 bore. Traction engines and tractors. EFFECT ON RETAIL PRICES. It is anticipated that in all cases the reductions will be passed on to the farmer. Tractors and traction engines received both the exemption from primage and the reduction of surtax, so that the saving to the purchaser should amount to some pounds. There is, however, little importation of tractors at the moment, and comparatively small sales. On sheep dip the exemption from primage will mean a saving of approximately 2/- a case (powder) or 2d a gallon (liquid). The importation of agricultural seeds is very small, but where they are imported (said a merchant) the exemption of priumgo will certainly be passed on to the farmer. It was estimated that the reduction in the price of root seeds, such as kale, mangolds, and turnips, would be about one penny a pound Similar reductions are expected in tho price of iron wire, wire-netting and cartridges—three other classes of goods named in the Orders-in-Council