The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1883. The Revenue

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 71, 17 November 1883, Page 2

The Feilding Star. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1883. The Revenue

♦ In compliance with an order of the the House oi Representatives that a return be laid before the House show ing-, under distinct headings, the respective amounts contributed by each provincial district to the colonial revenue from Customs, Stamps, Land and Property Tax, and territorial revenue, for the financial year endinu 31* st March, 1883, the following* interesting particulars have been supplied by the accountant to the Treasury, We will, tor greater convenience, give the figures in round numbers. The figures given for Customs Revenue, and Beer Duty represent the amounts collected at the ports in each provincial district. They do not represent the contributions of the respective districts to the revenue, because duiy paid goods are largely exported from one district to another for consumption, the foreign import trade of the country being practically centred in the four principal ports, of which the chief one is the provincial district ot Ctago. The duty from Stamps and Property Tax can only be stated ap proximately. Under the head ot Mamp Revenue is now included revenue formerly separately show a as judicial, postal, and land and deeds; also fees previously stated under registration and other fees, but which are now collected by means of stamps. Under the respective headings ot Customs Revenue, Stamp Revenue, Land and Property Tax, Beer Duty, we find the following in the order stated, Auckland — Customs, £34s,ooo Mamps £90,000, Land and Property £21,000, Beer £14,000; total £469.000. Wellington-- Customs £244,000, Stamps £81.000, Land and Property £24,008, Beer £7700; total £356,000. Canterbury — Customs £257,000, Stamps £101,000, Land and Property £45,000, Beer £15,000; tofal £418.' 00. Otago — - Customs £479,000, Stamps £104.000, Land and Property £48,000, Beer £18,000; total £649,000. The totals of each item lor the whole colony are — Cus toms £1,500,000, Stamps £445.000, Land and Property £158,000, Beer £63,C00; total £2,159,284 19s. The Territorial Revenue was as follows: — t Auckland £29,000, Taranaki £88.000, Wellington £12,000, Nelson £16,000, Hawkes Bay £8100, Marlborou^li £U,OUO, Canterbury £82,000, Westland £2000, Otago £149,000, made up as follows: — Land sales £226 000. deferred payments £47,000, depasturing- licensps, rents, &c, £132808, sundrieß &6000 ; total £410,878. These figures are very interesting, tshowLg as they do at a glance the various sources of revenue and the aniouut contributed by each provincial district. Ihe Beer Duty appears small, especially when the supposed enormous consumption of this article is considered. It leads us to believe that only a little over 6000 hhds were consumed during the year, or that only £30,000 has been received by all the brewer* in the colony for the' past twelve months, which op the nice > of it appears nbsuril. it may be safe

to infer that a!l the duty is not collected on heer, as the facilities for evadiny this tax are- so numerous, while the means of detection are clumsy and inefficient. Recent convictions for evasiim ot the Stamp Act. in the martyr of bills of exchange sliow that the revenue is 'iefrauaed in tliis connection, from eitlier a wilful inf-ntion or crass stupi iity. Despoiling f he revenue through the Customs is a common practice, and, by a Hi'ngular obliquity of the moral vision, is looked upon by most peeplo as a very pardotiiilile and fxcu-able offence, and all <>ffo rulers ar«, when detected, the ehjects of popular sympathy or at} miration, according to the magnitude <it tb>> crime.