COMPARISON OF COSTS.

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 57, 4 September 1926, Page 18

COMPARISON OF COSTS.

This sponsor of still cheaper motoring complains that the nominal £2 license fees is insignificant beside the actual payments which the motorist makes under the subtle guise of Customs duties. To arrive at the actual imposition on the New Zealand carowner, the complainant assumes the ;ease of a car upon which from £80 to ,£IOO duty is paid. Granting the car a liberal life of seven years, he points out that the duty means an average expense of about £12 a year. Then he argues that the average car will wear ont eight tires a year, and thus produce a- revenue of £8 in tire tax. He adds to this tho £2 annual license, Ss driver's certificate, and £1 10s Hutt road fees. This makes an impressive total of £23 15s a year. Comparing this with a car in Brittin, the motorist says tltat the owner of a 20 h.p. car in Great Britain escapes with a tax of £20 and a 5s fee for his driving license. Then he refers to the American motorist's position and gets his payment down at about £6 15s a year onkthe assumption that a license 'costs 10 dollars and the petrol tax yields three cents a gallon. Even if the Customs duties are to be considered, the • annual figure per motor would not reach the total cited. The duties collected in New Zealand in connection with motor vehicles in 1925 were:— £ Cars, trucks, and buses .. 698,719 Body tax 196,352 Tire duty 193,400 Motor parts ;. 64,280 Motor-cycles ..'.. '. 36,849 £1,194,612