BEER DUTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10137, 27 November 1918, Page 6

BEER DUTY

EFFECT OF SIX O’CLOCK CLOSING. The estimated beer duty for 1917-18 was £225,000, and the amount realised was • £237,075, being £12.075 over the estimate. This is duo bo the fact that tho estimate was calculated upon an average rate of 5d the gallon, whereas it was eventually decided to increase the minimum duty on excise beer to s}d the gallon, and the maximum duty to 6d tho gallon. As a matter of fact, the quantity of beer brewed during 1917-18 was 189,000 gallons less than during 1916-17. the average rate per gallon being 5.878 d. As six o’clock closing was in force only for four months of the financial year, and there has been a falling-ofi in tho amount of beer brewed since December, 1917, the year 1918-19 cannot be expected to realise more than £225,000, and the excise duty is estimated at that amount. Recapitulation of estimated revenue lo be collected by the Customs Department for 1918-19;- £ Customs revenue 3,500,000 Beer duty 225,000 Bonded-warehouse duty, timber export duty and other receipts ... 7,000 £3.732,000 GERMAN IMPORTS, £2316. The statistical returns for 1917 show that the value of goods of German origin imported into New Zealand for the year was £2316; and it should be explained that this sum is made up ol presents and supplies sent to prisoners of war, of German scientific apparatus for universities which was in stock in tho United Kingdom prior to the war and which could not be obtained elsewhere, of dyes (being parts of cargo of interned steamers), and of electric and other machinery from British possessions which were urgently required for the upkeep of established industries and which cbuld not be substituted by Brit-ish-mnde machines owing to the difficulties of exportation from the United Kingdom.