In N. Hebrides

Heavy War Taxes

A DEFENCE Regulation issued by the New Hebrides Condominium, in March, 1944, “to impose surtaxes on certain businesses,” provides for the fol lowing annual imposts:— Merchants, with liquor licenses, each branch £2OO Traders, retailers, with liquor licenses, each £2OO Hotelkeepers, each £2OO Laundries, under 10 employees, each ... £ 120 Laundries, 10 employees or over £2OO Each single launderer (including Tonkinese and natives) £3O Each merchanical laundry £2OO Each establishment, other than hotel, serving food and drink .. £2OO Each pastrycook £5O Each taxi £5O The obvious purpose of the tax is to secure, for the Administration, some rea sonable share of the flood of money from the fighting Services, from which these establishments have been making huge profits.

Critics, however, are complaining that the method employed is clumsy and unfair—that honest traders are being heavily penalised, while the dishonest ones have gone underground and are making more profits (untaxed) than ever.