TARIFF CHANGES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16377, 27 June 1927, Page 7

TARIFF CHANGES

WHEN WILL THEY COME?

MINISTER’S PREPARATIONS {Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. 'fhe commercial community is much concerned over the coming changes in. the tariff, and many inquiries are being made as to the date on which the Minister ol' Customs is likely to introduce his proposals. Jt 13 assumed, of course, that no hint of their nature will be given beforehand. Though Ministers convey the impression that some increases in taxation are bound to come this session in order to make sure of balancing the current year’s accounts, whether the,increased revenue is to come from Customs or from income tax, is a matter which Cabinet does not appear to have yet decided. \ As for the important point of the probable date of the tariff changes it may be taken as a safe indication that.several weeks, possibly a month, wifi elapse before the Minister of Customs, the Hon. VV. Downie Stewart, is ready to make his announcements. The commission of departmental officers which heard the proposals for tariff changes has only ,111st completed its.report, and there has been a large mass of evidence to sift, much, of it. contradictory according to the particular interests represented ■ bv ' the wit nesses.

It- is Mr. Stewart’s task to sift this material, guided by the reeommenda'tioihs.. o.f the yobmrnission, and then to report to Cabinet, which will have to decide the broad points of the policy involved in the revenue changes. Thus there is still a good deal of important preparatory work to be done so that an estimate of a month before- the Customs resolutions, are tabled in Parliament is not excessive. CLEARANCES PROM BOND BIG MOVEMENT IN AUCKLAND (Special to the Herald.) AUCKLAND, this day. During the past week large purchases of wines and spirits have been made from bonded stores in Auckland. A total of £400,000 has been mentioned for the whole of the country. Although that figure cannot be verified, there is no doubt that the purchase price in the aggregate runs into man) thousands. Buyings have been big in Auckland alone.

The cause of these transactions is not far to seek. A Tariff Bill is indicated in the Government’s proposals during the present session. There is no definite statement that the duty on wines and spirits, particularly spirits, is to be increased, but the provisions of the Tariff Bill would naturally entail heavy payments on imported whisky of proprietary brands. A. win'e ' and spirit merchant puts the position as follows: “If you had a certain amount of capital, lying idle, and there was a possibility that you would have to pay heavily to get hold of that capital, wouldn’t you get it out?”