Pacific Powers

Crack Down On

[?]Uty-Free Goods

Amendments to New Zealand

lustoms regulations, to come

ito effect on January 1, will

rack down on New Zealanders burning from overseas with

uty-free articles.

pHE amendments will reduce the L number of duty-free cameras icy can bring back from two to le.

Portable TV sets will no longer 5 classed as personal effects and ill therefore be dutiable; and fur )parel classed as personal effects ill be free of duty only if the value : each article does not exceed On the other hand, it will be srmissible to take in one quart of ine and one quart spirits duty-free stead of one quart of wine OR irits, as at present.

Concession rates for other dutiable ►ods up to £NZSO in value will ►ply only where the goods ac mpany the traveller on the aircraft vessel in which he travels and are ►t for sale or exchange.

Articles exempt from this con ssion will include fur apparel, dios, tape recorders, cameras and levision sets. This means that full istoms duties will be payable on ch goods unless they qualify as rsonal or other effects.

The Customs regulations are to amended to protect home in istry because the increasing number New Zealanders touring abroad ve been taking advantage of con ssions to bring back duty-free ods for sale or on behalf of other ople.

Australia, US Stricter

From January 1 this year Aus dia’s Customs regulations were lended so that a visitor to Fiji, Drfolk Island, and other duty-free •ritories could bring in only one ty-free transistor radio—all ad ional radios being subject to arges that almost doubled the pur ase price.

More recently the United States

customs laws were tightened up in an effort to reduce the amount spent by US travellers abroad. These restric tions do not apply to American Samoa or Guam, but they do dis criminate against other Pacific centres, including the US Trust Territory.

The big question at present is what effect the new New Zealand restrictions will have on the various duty-free Pacific territories, especially Fiji, which is generally the last stop before New Zealand for people travelling south in the Pacific.

Fiji traders had a mixed re action to the new moves. Some say they will make little difference— others expect business to be affected.

MR. GRAHAM POPLE, one of the eight members of the Papua- New Guinea House of Assembly who

recently made a political education tour of Australia, complained to PIM bitterly about the “ridiculous” Aus tralian Customs regulations before he left Sydney.

Mr. Pople was nettled to discover that high Customs duties were pay able on one of the two transistors he brought to Australia from the Territory. However, he was even more upset when he decided to buy some souvenirs of the tour at Sydney’s airport before boarding the plane home, and found no duty-free purchases could be made there if he was going to P-NG.

He pointed out, with truth, that Customs regard P-NG as inter national territory when travellers are headed for Australia, and as Aus tralian territory when they are headed for New Guinea. Should they have it both ways?

Aggie's At

Apia

Aggie Grey's hotel on the beach front in Apia has recently been extended - at the rear. The front view still retains its air of informality and comfort that has helped make Aggie's famous.

Photo: Barry Badger.