CUSTOMS REVENUE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 1, 2 January 1936, Page 12

CUSTOMS REVENUE

FIGURES EOR THE TEAR

BIG INCREASES

The sum of £2,692,694 was collected in Customs revenue in Wellington during the year 1935, this figure representing an increase of £336,013 on the revenue from this source for 1934. The net revenue for the month of December last amounted to £224,826, an increase of nearly £16,000 on that for the corresponding month the year before.

The revenue month by month for the past two years is shown in the following comparative table: —

1935. 1934. £• £ January 22M24 194,707 February .... 192,031 153,697 March 208,137 179,834 April 207,431 181,569 May 249,462 196,056 June 188,697 154,052 July 212,088 211,351 August .243,910 220.440 September .... 227,827 168,968 October 260,389 241,527 November ... 255,872 245,477 December ... 224,820 209,003 Total £2,692,694 £2,356,681

A substantial increase is disclosed in the sales tax for the year, the revenue under this heading for 1935 being £870,434, as compared with £727,022 for 1934, an increase of £143,412. The total so far collected in Wellington from the tax, which became operative on February 10, 1933, is £1,993,205. For the month of December the sales tax yielded £82,830, as compared with £74,256, an increase of £8574. Beer excise collections at Wellington last month totalled £8518, compared with £7823 for December, 1934, an increase of £695. For the 12 months ended December 31, 1935, the beer excise collected at Wellington totalled £58,696, compared with £56,444 for 1934, an increase of £2252. OTHER SOURCES. The duty collected on motor spirit last month totalled £36,694 at 6d a gallon and £24,456 at 4d a gallon, a total of £61,150, compared with £40,995 at 6d a gallon and £27,330 at 4d a gallon, a total of £68,325 for December, 1934—a decrease of £7175.

For the 12 months ended December 31, 1935, the total duty on motor-spirit collected at Wellington amounted to £648,922, compared with £702,669 for the calendar year, 1934, a decrease of £53,747. The amounts already collected at 4d a gallon are already included in the net Customs revenue given above, being paid into the Consolidated Fund as distinct from those at 6d a gallon, which go to the Main Highways Fund.

The smaller revenue from motorspirit this year is not due to decreased consumption, but to the steadily-in-creasing numbers of bonded tanks in the smaller centres. Formerly all, or almost all, motor-spirit discharged at Wellington paid duty in Wellington. Now a large proportion of the petrol used in the Hawke's Bay, Wanganui, and Taranaki districts is railed from Wellington and placed in bonded tanks in those districts, paying duty where it is drawn off from the bonded tanks. Collections of tire tax last month at Wellington amounted to £2290, compared with £2033 for December, 1934, an increase of £257. For the 12 months tire tax collected at Wellington totalled £24,690, compared with £22,248 for. 1934, an increase of £2442.