CUSTOMS REVENUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20217, 30 March 1929, Page 13

CUSTOMS REVENUE.

FIRST QUARTER'S RETURNS. INCREASE OF OVER £7BOO. HEAVY YIELD OF PETROL TAX. During the first quarter of the year the customs revenue collected at the Port of Auckland has shown a small advance, which is mainly due to the very high figures for January. There is an improvement of £7BBI compared with the corresponding quarter a year ago, in spite of declines in the figures for both February and March The customs duty and tyre tax figures for March totalled £179,659, which is £5174 lower than in tho same month of 1928 Customs revenue and tyre tax for the quarter, compared with last year, are as follows: 1929. 1928. January .. .. ±-216,053 £172,148 February . . . . 184,112 204,962 March 179,659 184.833 Totals .. .. £579,824 £561,943 A feature of the current year's revenue is the large increase in the returns yielded by motor spirit taxation. The tax, which wp.s introduced at the beginning of last year, produced £52,316 during the first three months of its operation. During the first three months of this year, notwithstanding a decrease in revenue of £18,234 during last, month, the tax has provided an increase of £16,267. A comparison of the figures for the first quarter of the two years is set out in the following table: T 1929. 1928. January .. .. £31,919 £11,900 !• ebruary . . . . 2 6.445 11.963 March 10,219 28.453 Totals .. .. £68,583 £52^316 The disparity of these figures is in part accounted for by the irregular arrival of oil-tankers at Auckland, there being unusually large unloadings in some months, while at other periods only one vessel will reach the port during a long interval. figures do not represent the "total amount of revenue derived from the motoring public. With them must be durintTh \ Tu m ° f £13 ' 194 collected jpi ? p hree months in tyre-tax and £10,478 collected in the correspond' ing period of 1928. Beer duty augmented the customs revenue last month to the extent of £4021 a decrease of £5639 compared with the preceding month. CHBJSTCHURCH RETURNS. DECREASE FOR THE YEAR. [BY TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHKISTCHURCH, Friday. The customs duties collected at Christchurch during the financial year 1928-29 ™ a . on those of the preceding j ear of £33,400, but for the March quarter there is an increase this year of £28,800 Beer duty shows an increase for the financial year of £3400. The customs duties were :—March 1929 £86,547 18s; March, 1928, £94,980 10s; financial year, £1,050,375 lis; 1927-28 £1,983,800 6s. The beer duty in March, 1929, was £7848: March, 1928, £6408 4sfinancial year, £86,762; 1927-28, £B3 314 4s. The motor spirit tax collected in March, 1929, was £23.882 10s; March, 1928, £5674 6s; financial year, £130,257. The tyre tax for the financial year was £15,296 17s, against £6814 last year.