CUSTOMS REVENUE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 184, 1 May 1940, Page 11

CUSTOMS REVENUE

Collections At Port Of Wellington

INCREASE OF £17,229

Net Customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington last month shows an increase of £17,229, Compared with April, 1939. This increase, however, is entirely caused by the inclusion of approximately £51,000 from duty on motor spirit, at Bd. a gallon, compared with about £27,000 at 4d. a gallon m April, 1939. Net revenue for the month, excluding motor spirit tax, is therefore, about £7OOO below the figure for last April. Beer excise duty is again higher, and there is a small increase in. revenue from tyre tax. Sales tax returns are substantially lower, and revenue from motor spirit tax at 6d. a gallon is also down. War tax in April amounted to £33,656, compared with £30,943 in March, and £27,701 in February.

The net. Customs revenue collected in Wellington last month totalled £282,088, compared with £264,859 in April, 1939, an increase of £17,229. For the four mouths of the current year revenue totals £1,040,772, conrpai c<l with £1,169.705 for the corresponding period of 1939, a decrease of £123,933. A detailed comparison for each of the four months is given in the follow-

Collections ot sales tax in April amounted to £101,954, compared with £120,833 in April. 1939, a decrease of £18,879. The total for the four months, £376,435, shows a decrease of £88,796 on the £465,231 collected during the same period of 1939. This tax came into force on February 10, 1933, and the amount so far collected in Wellington totals £7,42*1,921. Beer excise collections! last month totalled' £9987, compared with £6524 in April. 1939. an increase of £3463. For the fopr months the totals are £37,603 and £25.340 respectively, an increase of £12,263. Motor-spirit and Tyre Tax. filhe duty collected on motor-spirit last month amounted .to £38,466 at Cd. a gallon, compared with £41,202 in April, 1939, a decrease of £2736. The total for the four months is £172,891. compared with £183.311, a decrease of £10,420. The amounts collected at Sd. a gallon last month, and 4d. a gallon in April, 1939, are included in tbe net; Customs revenue given, above, being paid Into the ■Consolidated Fund, and are not taken out separately. Collections of tyre tax last month totalled £1757, compared with £1745 In April, 1939, an increase of £l2. The total for the four months amounts to £6361, compared with £10,954 for the same period of 1939. a decrease of £4623. CHRISTCHURCH RETURNS (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, April 30. Christchurch customs returns for April show a slight increase in the amount of duty collected, the total being £159.267, Compared with £155,675. The most notable feature of returns was the increase in beer duty, which rose from £9979 in April, 1939. to £16,275 this April. There was a decrease of £4934 in the petrol tax collections and customs duties on imported goods fell from £77.821 to £75,507.

AUCKLAND FIGURES (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 30. Decreases in motor-spirit, tyre duty, and sales tax are shown in the April Customs return, but there were

increases in the yield from Customs duty and excise on beer.

OTAGO RETURNS (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DU'NEID'IIN, April 30. An increase of nearly £40,000 in the Customs revenue collected at the port of Otago was recorded- in the past month, coanip-nrodi with that for April of last year, the respective totals being £161,508 and £12.1,757, Customs duties accounted for £9435 of this increase, buit the most notable rise was that collected in beer duty, which in the past month totalled £4.5,356,. compared with only £25,543 during April, 1939. An interesting increase was that in sales tax. Last month £29,4112 was collected by this tax, compared with only £217,371 in April of last year, an increase of £2044. As was to be expected on account of petrol restrictions, petrol tax showed a decrease during the past month of £3692, and tyre tax a drop of £139. Gohl duty amounted to practically the same figure ns in April, 1939. Following are the figures for the past month, and for April, 1939 : —

intr table: — 1940. 1939. £ £ .. ' 284,-746 279.059 February ...• .. 233,748 304.761 ivr ft re' 1 ] i .. 245,190 321,026 .. 282,088 264,859 Totals .. 1,045,772 1,169,705 Sales Tax and Beer Duty.

Returns: — 1939 1940 £ £ Customs 77,821 9.979 10,275 Petrol tax 20,819 21,885 Tvrp tax ........ 387 784 Salos tax 38.920 38,005 Kight dupr 21S .102 AVool levy .. .. 473 208 Krp.it lew ...... 1.014 Hides lew 09 Miscellaneous • • ■ 38 0.252 Totals . 159,207

(Receipts this mon-hh comipai e xvi th those of April, 1939, as follows — 1910. 1939. £ £ ... 284,1'53 25S.866 Motor-spirit, 6(1 .. 63,282 73,985 Tyre duty . • • • 2,44'0 2,828 Excise on beer .... 30.896 19,617 Sales tax .... ... 90,445 95,428

Cuis toms duties •> Beer duty Sales tax Petrol tax Tyre tax Gold duty Aipril, 1940. £ 59,701 45,356 29,412 12.643 398 1,057 April, 1939. £ 50,326 25,543 27,371 15,735 1.071 Totals (including miscellaneous revenue) 161,598 121,737