CUSTOMS REVENUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19859, 1 February 1928, Page 13

CUSTOMS REVENUE.

PORT OF AUCKLAND. DECREASE IN JANUARY. COLLECTION OF PETROL TAX. A further reduction in the customs revenue collected at the Port of Auckland is shown in the returns for last month, which amounted to £169,060, as compared with £178,573 for January, 1927, a decrease of £9513. Beer duty collected totalled £9599, as against £9096 for the corresponding period of last year, an increase of £503. Although the decrease in customs revenue is not as marked as was the case in the six preceding months, the returns point to a continued decrease in imports. In spite of the smaller • customs figures compared with January, 1927, last month's returns compare more than favourably with those for several months of last year. There is every indication that imports will show an increase within the near future. The enforcement of the petrol tax has already resulted in a considerable swelling of the customs revenue. This fact has therefore to be taken into consideration when any assessment of import values is being made, for although they may appear superficially to be greater, it has to bc> remembered that motor fuel has not beer taxed hitherto. It is anticipated thai, the new tax will yield £720,000 for the whole of New Zealand, and about onethird of this,, or £240,000, is expected to be collected at the Port of Auckland. COLLECTIONS AT WELLINGTON. A DECREASE OF £20,000. [I3Y TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. A decrease of £20,000 is shown in the customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington in January, compared with the corresponding month last year. The figures for last month are as follows, those for January, 1927, being given in parentheses:—Net customs, £188,913 (£208.153); beer duty, £4740 8s 8d (£4145 lis 9d).