CUSTOMS REVENUE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 234, 1 September 1938, Page 18

CUSTOMS REVENUE

DECREASED RETURNS. WELLINGTON FIGURES. AVELLINGTON, Sept. 1. For the fourth consecutive month net Customs revenue collected at Wellington shows a i substantial decrease when compared with the corresponding month of last year. Sales tax, beer duty and tyre tax are also lower, but revenue from petrol shows a slight increase. The net Customs revenue collected at Wellington last month totalled £322,772, compared with £359,941 in August, 1937, a decrease of £37,169. For the eight months of the current year the revenue totals £2,371,214 compared with £2,425,563 for the corresponding period of 1937, a decrease of £54,349.

The duty collected on motor-spirit last month totalled £42,618 at 6d a gallon and £28,430 at 4d a gallon, a total of £71.048, compared with £4l--050 at 6d a gallon and £27,368 at 4d a gallon, a total of £68,418 for August, 1937, an increase of £2630. For the eight months of the current year the revenue totals £582,480, compared with £552,202 for the corresponding period of 1937, an increase of £30,278.

Collections of tyre tax last month amounted to £2707, compared with £3701 in August, 1937, a decrease of £994. For the eight months the total is £16,020, compared witli £16,798 for the corresponding period of 1937, a decrease of £778. Collections of sales tax in August amounted to £112,193, compared with £113,754 in August, 1937, a decrease of £1561. The total for the eight months, £858,632, shows a decrease of £173 over the £858,805 collected in the corresponding period of 1937. This tax came into force on February 10, 1933, and th» total so far collected at Wellington amounts to £5,197,704. Beer excise collections at Wellington last month amounted to £5929, as against £6326 in August, 1937, a decrease of £397. For the eight months of this year the total is £52,842, against £46.824 for the corresponding period of last year, an increase of £6OIB. AUCKLAND STATISTICS. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Aug. 31. A small decrease in the amount of Customs duty collected at Auckland is shown in figures for August compared with those for the corresponding month of last year. The collection in August was £319,661, against £323.769 in August, 1937. For the first eight months of the present year revenue was £2.291,533, a figure substantially alxjve the corresponding 1937 total of £2,237.699. Motor spirit tax. at 6d a gallon, in August yielded £70,561, compared with £62.315 in August, 1937, find tyre duty amounted to £2991, compared with £3684 in August last year. The combined totals of Customs, motor spirit and tyre duty was £393,213 in August, and £2,882,137 for the first eight months of the year, as against £389.768 and .£2,768.960 for the corresponding 1937 periods. There was little difference in the sales tax return for August this year, compared with last vear. the respective totals being £85.447 and £85,306. The 1938 eight-monthly return, at £670,427, is slightly ahead of the 1937 figure of £659.652. Excise on beer increased from £15.635 in August, 1937. to £16.793 this month, and from £120.013 in the first eight months of 1937 to £135.320 in the corresponding period this year. CHRISTCHURCH TOTALS. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Aug. 3L Again the monthly return supplied by the Collector of Customs shows a marked decrease in revenue compared with 1937. Last month the total revenue collected was £182,6i t 3. a decrease of £27,984 compared with August last Year. ’ Nearly all items show smaller revenue, a notable exception being petrol tax, which maintains its buoyant tendency. For the five months of the present financial year revenue totalled £849,083, compared with £903.871 in the corresponding period of 1937, a decrease of £54,788. DUNEDIN RETURNS DOWN. Per Press Association. DUNEDIN,'Aug. 31. Customs returns at . the port of Otago show decreases in every item with the exception of petrol tax when the figures for the month of August are compared with the figures for the same period of last year Figures for Auguvst, together with those for the same month of last year shillings and pence omitted, are * s *° llow = TlSu toms duty. August, 1938. £7O-434, August, 1937, £83.831. Beer , £2l 967, £24,462- Sales tax £25.073, £27,493. Petrol tax. £15,613, £I4.JJO Tyre tax, £653, £1753. Gold duty, £1731, £2.306