But Bsip Residents

Bermudan Tax Deferred

Pay More

Just The Same

British Solomon Islands resi

dents who have been awaiting a new Customs schedule with

some trepidation, breathed more

freely in December when they learned that television receivers were to remain at the same 1 Vi per cent, duty, and that railway and tramway cars of all kinds were to continue to be free.

AS, however, the Protectorate has no TV station, nor is likely to have; and no railways and tram ways, these concessions are not ex pected to cause any drastic reorgan isation of the domestic economy.

More serious, was the fact that duties on some goods considered unessential or luxurious —and these include butter—are to have higher The government’s intention to assess all duty on a c.i.f. value in stead of f.o.b. has been “tem porarily deferred” as a result of a concerted howl from the non-gov ernment members of the Advisory Council and businessmen in the Protectorate. (See PIM, Dec., p. 17).

But to make up for this, some reductions and exemptions which were to be announced simultane ously with the introduction of the Bermuda-type import duty, have also been “temporarily deferred.”

Secretary of State's Idea Reorganisation of BSIP’s Customs schedule came about after the Secretary of State for Colonies in sisted that more revenue be raised within the Protectorate itself. The new duties came into effect on January 1.

These are some of the new duties, extracted from a very long list; Butter, previously free, now 2i per cent.; Bacon, hams, sausages and frozen fish, previously free, now 5 per cent.; Frozen fruit, vegetables, dripping, 5 per cent.; Old newspapers, exposed cine film, refrigerators, tyres and tubes for tractors, previously free, now 17S per cent.; Watches, record-players, photo graphic materials, increased 2| per cent, to 20 per cent.

Jewellery and cosmetics, up 7| per cent, to 25 per cent.