PETROL TAX

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 197, 9 November 1927, Page 8

PETROL TAX

BILL BEFORE HOUSE REFUNDS AND ALLOCATIONS (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The Government’s proposals for the imposition of a petrol tax and allocation of money to be derived from it were placed before the House of Representatives in a concrete form this evening, when the Motor Spirits Taxation Bill, in charge of the. Minister of Public Works, the Hon. K. S. Williams, was introduced by Governor-General’s message and read the first time. The Minister is empowered to exempt any motor spirit from duty if he is satisfied that it is intended to be used for manufacturing, or scientific, or similar purposes, and that it has been so treated as to render it unfit for use as fuel for motor vehicles. Provision is made for refund of duty on application to the registrar of motor vehicles in respect of motor spirits used for any purpose other than as fuel for a motor vehicle, but no refund will be allowed unless the application is made within 90 days after the date of consumption of motor spirits in respect of which the claim is made. Applications are to be supported by such declarations, or other documentary evidence as the registrar may require, in proof that the spirit was used otherwise than as motor-vehicle fuel, and any false declaration is made an offence for which the penalty Is fixed at a fine of £ 50 or three months’ imprisonment. After the expense of administration and the amount of any refunds have been deducted, 92 per cent, of the residue is to be paid into the revenue fund of the Main Highways Account, and . the balance of 8 per cent, will be appropriated among those borough councils in whose districts there is a population of 6,000 or more in proportion. It is proposed that all moneys paid to borough councils in this way shall be available only toward the cost of construction, reconstruction, maintenance or repair of streets forming a continuation of a main highway, or toward charges payable on moneys borrowed for such work. If, however, money paid to any borough council is more than sufficient for this purpose the council may, with the prior approval of the Main Highways Board, apply any surplus funds for other roading work, or charges on any loans for street improvements.