CUSTOMS DUTIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17692, 1 August 1919, Page 5

CUSTOMS DUTIES

DETAILS OF REVENUE.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER.

(Pbb United Pbess Association.) WELLINGTON, July 31. Tlie Minister of Customs supplies the following information regarding the Customs and excise boor duty collected per head of the ■> population during each calendar year for the last 10 years:—

It will be observed, said Mr Myers, that tho Customs revenue per head shows a gradual advance from 1909 to 1913, due to the increase in value of the imports, which, in 1909, were valued at £15,674,719 and in 1913 at £22,288,302. Owing to. the disturbing influence of the war on trade generally the imports decreased in 1914 and 1915, and as a conseqeunce the Customs revenue for those years also shows a decrease. The year 1916, however, was a record one for Customs collections, the rise in the prices of imported goods and the increased rates of duty (which included the primary duty imposed by "The Finance Act, 1915") being responsible. In 1917 further increases were mado in the Customs tariff.

The extra duties collected per head as a result of the altered rates compaTed with the total Customs revenue per head are:— Pre-war Excisc beer

It wiO be seen, continued Mr Myers, that the average annual Customs revenue for the last four years has kept up to the prewar level, the average per head for 1915-16 being about £3 Is, as against £3 0s 6d for 1913. The excise beer duty increased by about 100 per cent, in 1918, as compared with pre-war years, this being due almost entirely to the increase in the rate of duty from 3d to nearly 6d per gallon.

Jcar. 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 Customs. £ s. a. 2 11 7 2 1G 4 2 19 0 3 0 7 3 0 G 2 19 0 2 15 8 3 6 0 2 18 10 3 10 Excise tx duty, e. d. 2' 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 4 2- 4 3 3 3 10 4 6

year. 1913 'ar year. 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 Customs. £ s. d. 3 0 6 Customs. & s. d. 2 19 0 2 15 8 3 6 9 2 18 10 3 2 6duty. B. d. Excise bocj duty. e. d. 1 5 7 9 9 0 13 7