4.
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"The Secretary of State for the Colonies has also agreed that it would be unwise to impose in Hongkong a full system of licensing of imports and exports. Search has therefore been made for other means of check- ing undesirable imports, that is, im- ports which are undesirable because they use up exchange resources.
"The conclusion has been reached that this can best be done in two ways, first by the imposition of taxa- tion with the deliberate object of checking consumption. With end we propose to double the tax on that petrol and foreign wines and spirits and, since consumption of luxuries, even from sterling sources, is to be discouraged, Government proposes to increase the duties on Empire wines and spirits by 25%.
Ordinance Signed
"These increases have been given effect to by an order signed by Your Excellency this afternoon in pur- suance of your powers under the Pub- lic Revenue Protection Ordinance of 1937. There was no time to give you notice of the resolution to be intro- duced in this Council and that Or- dinance empowers your Excellency to bring into application immediate- ly in advance of the introduction of this formal resolution when you have approved such introduction. The necessary resolution will be duly moved at the next meeting.
will be eligible for proportionate re- fund as from the 1st October.
No Concession for Taxis "No similar concession will be made to taxis but the additional burden of the petrol tax in their case may be regarded a substitute for the special taxation of the taxi operators which was suggested by the Taxation Com- mittee but which the Government! does not now intend to pursue.
It is
"In considering the petrol taxation I hope that members will keep pro- minently in mind that the authorities
"The second action which it is pro- in the United Kingdom have taken posed to take to limit exports which the very much more drastic step of point of view is the enactment of are undesirable from the exchange direct rationing of private users, legislation enabling the Government granting them sufficient supplies for to prohibit the import of specified a mileage of 2,000 miles a year.
"The measures we propose are very proposed that licences should
articles except under licence. mild compared with that, just as in everything else, taxation and control, able to give guarantees that the be issued freely when the importer is. the Hongkong citizen is being treat-articles will be sold only for ed less severely than Kingdom resident.
the United export but very sparingly in other system will be limited to articles: cases; and the application of this which can conveniently be controlled in such a way. The bill of an ordin- ance to provide for such a system will be introduced as early as possible.
on
"It is not desired that the increased tax on petrol should hit the com- mercial users, that is the buses and lorries; therefore the tax diesel oil used by the and
buses some lorries will not increased and, as some offset to the be additional burden on petrol-driven lorries, the annual licence fee on such lorries will be reduced to a nominal charge of $5 representing in each case a saving of from $85 to $115 per annum. Vehicles which have al- ready paid licence fees for this year
re-
"I now move formally the Resolu tion standing in my name, that the draft estimate for 1940/41 be ap
ved; but in doing so I give formal notice that amendments on the lines: just indicated will be proposed in he Select Committee which the Re- solution will presumably be referred.
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