CONVERSION OF PUBLIC HIRE CARS TO TAX IS
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS REAFFIRMED ITS DECISION TO GO AHEAD WITH PLANS TO ISSUE MORE TAXI LICENCES EARLY NEXT YEAR.
HOWEVER, AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION THE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO ALLOW OPERATORS OF PUBLIC HIRE CARS TO CONVERT THE IR LICENCES INTO TAXI LICENCES ON THE PAYMENT OF A PREMIUM OF $75,000.
THIS DECISION FOLLOWS A MEETING THREE WEEKS AGO BETWEEN THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR. IAN MACPHERSON AND REPRESENTATIVES OF PUBLIC HIRE CAR OPERATORS.
THE REPRESENTATIVES WERE OFFICIALLY INFORMED TODAY OF THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION.
DETA ILED ARRANGEMENT FOR THE CONVERSION OF PUBLIC HIRE CARS TO TAXIS WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER,
CINEMA-GOERS PAID $15 M. ENTERTAINMENTS TAX LAST YEAR
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ENTERTAINMENTS TAX COLLECTED BY THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT DURING THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR AMOUNTED TO OVER $18.7 MILLION.
OF THIS SUM, OVER $15 MILLION WAS PAID BY CINEMA-GOERS AND OVER $3.6 MILLION BY RACE-GOERS,
TAX ON CINEMA TICKETS WAS RE-INTRODUCED ON APRIL 1 LAST YEAR UNDER THE ENTERTAINMENTS TAX (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE 1975 AFTER A TWO-YEAR BREAK.
THERE WERE 83 CINEMAS IN OPERATION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. SIX OPENED DURING THE YEAR AND FOUR CLOSED.
ONE CHINESE FILM ALONE GROSSED OVER $4.5 MILLION AND ANOTHER THREE EXCEEDED THE $2 MILLION MARK, ONE NON-CHINESE FILM GROSSED MORE THAN $5 MILLION ANOTHER EXCEEDED $2 MILLION.
TAX COLLECTED FROM RACE-GOERS SHOWED A SLIGHT DROP OF $14,894 OR 0.4 PER CENT FROM THE FIGURE OF 1974-75. THIS FRACTIONAL FALL IN REVENUE FROM RACE MEETINGS WAS PROBABLY DUE TO THE FURTHER EXPANSION OF OFF-COURSE AND TELEPHONE BETTING FACILITIES.
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