FRENCH SURTAXES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18254, 24 November 1933, Page 8

FRENCH SURTAXES

ATTITUDE OF BRITAIN RETALIATION THREAT (British Official Wireless.) Bee. 2 p.m. RUGBY, Nov. 23. Mr. Walter llunciman, speaking in the House of Commons, said : “Shortly after the suspension of Lie gold standard here, the French Government, imposed a surtax of 16 per cent, ad valorem on a wide range of British goods on their importation into France, in spite of the fact that when previously .French currency had been depreciated to a far greater extent, no special duties were imposed in tiiis country on French goods. This surtax did not appiy to goods of all countries, and, therefore, was discriminatory in effect.

“Subsequently, the position was aggravated by th 3 exemption from surtax of goods from certain other countries whose exchange was depreciated more than sterling, and by the imposition of a differential import turnover tax from which Belgian and Italian goods came to be exempted. Tho Government of the United Kingdom had taken the strongest objection to discriminations against British goods, and had pressed for their removal. Tho Government, unfortunately, found it necessary a short time ago to intimate to the French Government that it could not countenance a continuation any longer of these discriminations, and that unless the French Government could see Its way to remove them at an early date, tho Government would be compelled to impose on a range of French goods special additional duties, roughly equivalent in incidence to the amount of discrimination at present applied in France against British goods.

The Federation of British Industries strongly supports the Government in its effort to remove the French discrimina tion against imports from Britain.