CUSTOMS AND EXCISE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 262, 1 August 1919, Page 7

CUSTOMS AND EXCISE

..TEE. WAR INCREASES. The Hon. Arthur M. Myers, Minister of Customs, has furnished for publication the following intoiesting information regarding the Customs revenue and' excise beer duty collected per head of population during each calendar year from 1909 to 1918:—

"It will be observed," raid the Minister, "that tho Customs revenue per head shows a gradual advance from 1909 to 1913, due to the increase in tho vuluo of imports, which, in 1909, were valued at ,£15,674,719, and in 1913 at . "Owing to the disturbing influence of the war on trade generally, the imports decreased in 19U and 1915, and ns a consequence the Customs revenue for those years also shows a decrease. The year 1916, however, was a record ono for Customs collections, tho rise in prices of. imported goods and tho increased rates of duty imposed by the Finanoo Act, 1915, which, included a primage duty of 7 per cent, ad valorem, being responsible. "In 1917 further increases were, made in the Customs tariff, "The extra duties collected per Sisad as a .result of tho altered rates, compared with the total Customs revenue per head, are as under:—' Total. Extra Customs . duties revenue per per head. head.. Year. £ s. d. s. d. ■ *1913 3 0 ,6 ' — 1914 ......... 2 19 ,o', 1915 215' 8 ■ ■ • 1-5 1916 3 6 9- 79 ■• 1917 ...;'..... 218 10 9 0 1918 '3 .2 6 14 7 ♦Pre-war year.. "It' will be seen," continued Mr. Myers, "that the average annual Customs revenue for the last four years has. kept up the pre-war level, • the average per hood for 1915-1916 being about .£3 Is. as against' ,£3 Os. 6d. for 1913. "It should be pointed out that, in addition to the increased rates, the increased value of goods subject to ad valorem duties and the large proportion of imports of foreign manufacture on which preferential surtax is levied, also contributed largely to this result. "The excise beer duty has increased about 100 per cent, in; 1918, compared /with pre-war years, due almost entirely to the', increase in the rate of duty from 3d. to nearly Gd. per gallon."

ExciseCustoms, beer duty. Total. Year. £ s. d. s. d. £ s. d. 1909 2 11 7 2 3- 2 13 10 1910 ...,.." 2 16 4 2 3 2 18 7 1911 ...... 2 19 0 2 3 3 13 1912 3 0 7 2 3 3 2 10 1913 306 22 328 J»U 2 T9 0 2 1 8 1 •{ 1915 2 15 8 2 1 2 18 0 1916 369 33 3 10 0 1917 ...... 2 18 10 3 10 3 2 8 1918 326 16 370