1931-06-13 — Page 12

THE

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, MOTORING SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1931.

It Gives us Pleasure

To Demonstrate The-

FIAT 520

SIX-CYLINDERS

A TRULY EXCELLENT CAR

At a Reasonable Price.

Service Station

FIAT GARAGE

and

LANCIA GARAGE Hennessy Road.

Tel. 24841,

Tel. 23557.

A. GOEKE & Co.

Spare l'arts Dept.

CHINA BUIDING

Tel. 22221.

Fourth Floor,

FIAT

Tel. 22221.

AGENTS.

·Trust A THORNYCROFT WITH YOUR TRANSPORT

DEAL DIRECT.

THORNYCROFT

SIX-CYLINDERED

COACHES & OMNIBUSES

MOTOR VEHICLES

Pioneer Manufacturers of Commercial Motor Vehicles

THE WORLD'S WORST TAX.

Some Points on the Taxation of British

Motor Transport.

ed goods by road has a transport || boro BY diamotor is taken into.. transport tax on the British manu- For instance, a four-cylinder facturer who uses motor hauinge engine of 72 millimetres bere is to the same extent. Thus, the rated at 12.8 h.p., and is taxed at British product has to boar five £18. If the cylinder bore ware times as much transport tax as increased 1 millimetre, or one the same article imported from twenty-fifth part of an Inch, the America. Naturally, this has an power rating would become 18,2 important effect on the ability of h.p., and the tax would be £14. the British manufacturer to meet foreign competition.

tax which is about one-fifth of the account.

worker.

Thus, the British manufacturer has to avoid cerinin engine dimen- sions if he is to keep down the taxation on his engines, and he is compelled to work within artificial

stroke ratio. France has a highly scientiae but too complex h.p

Rumours are current that nowing 1% tons would pay £3 10s, burdons will be placed on the In addition there is a petrol tax

Again, the American employee British motorist in the Budget. of 1d. per gallon.

going to work in an omnibus has Even if those rumours prove to be Just to show that there is no about one-fifth of the transport limits. false the melancholy fact remains favouritism for private cars it tax which is imposed on British Uut of the great, civilized, and may be mentioned that the tax on omnibus fares.

Germany has a cable capacity. His daily travel for ungine volume tax which is progressive nations, Great Britain a 1-ton truck is £3 168. In Grenting expenses should be less to much better in that the designar is in the worst position as regards Britain a truck exceeding 12 cwt, this extent, and so he gains in is free to select the best bere and taxation of mechanical road but not exceeding one ton is taxed comparison with the British transport.

at £15. A 30-seater omnibus is Taxation can be bad, in two taxed at £14 in New York State, ways: one, by reason of the und at £57 in Great Britain.. amount of the tax imposed on an article; and two, the methad by which it levies. Under both

Let us take California, where the whole. It invariably follows that xruded so that care of low hp. counts Great Britain shows ap

A country which has adopted pay less per unit than high- disgracefully, writes "H.F.II." to

Italy Private Car: Flat rate of 125ss of vehicle tends to have a capacity,

high scale of taxation for our formula based mainly on cuble

bar powered a Home motoring journal.

Gd. per annum. A truck weigh- The only reliable method of determining the severity of a taxing up to 6,000 lb. pays £2 6s. flat high general scale of motor taxh-capacity, and again, there is a

rate.

The existence of a very concassion for the low-powered Is to find out the average amount In California the new car pays high tax on cara in Great Britain and popular types of vehicles. In small personal property tax, but has been one of the excuses for all these cases the money differ Applying this to motor this is non-recurring. There is high taxation on vehicles connect-ence between one h.p, or taxed

also a petrol tax of 14d. per ed with Industry." Kallon.

I mention these points for the formula, which takes into account horo, stroke and normal engine But New York is an expensive simple reason that we must look speed. The taxation stops are State for the American motorist. read transport taxation as a

of revenue obtained per taxable unit. taxation we take the total revenue. derived from vehicle taxes and the petrol tax, and divide it by the total number of vehicles.

For the principal countries the following results in round figures are obtained :—~

Total Average Tax per motor Vehicle

Great Britain

U.S.A.

France

Italy

Germany

Canada

£28

A

16

15

13

$

Laxes aretoan

14

iton.

#

Now lets see how British and Comparisons with European

Countries. American motorists fare under

Taxation comparison with other these systems. Take a 16 h.p. car

each ense, though this is Important countries is not so enay absurdly low for Amerien, for the as with America, for in France, simple reason that taxation and Italy And Germany there are running costs are so moderate dificult and

in

care,

ไปส д

unit and the next highest rating is leas for the average vehicla than is the .£) which marks onch step of our inflexible system.

"Highway Robbery" of the Owner.

The British motorist is bled in rather complicated manner which is also peculiar to that high-powered cars are in- methods of computing engine this country. Taking the average 12 h.p.. car with an average expensive to run. Assume EL power, and, moreover, changes mileage of 10,000 and a fuel con- are frequently made in the rates mileage is taxation works out as sumption of 480 gallons. Here of taxation. The petrol situation follows are the comparative Ogures:—

1

1trol Tothi Car Tax Tow Tharun ... 11. à n. 5. 1550

1 412 63 OR

The general averages given British Motorkul above do not show to the full New York Mutort extent how great is the difference Californing Motor- in average taxation between the maximum (Great Britain) and the It really makes us look ridieu- minimum (U.S.A.). In the Interlous. The British motorist in country the vehicles are of con-taxed about five times as much as siderably higher average horse the New York motorist, and six power, and thus it allowance be times as much as the Californian made for this fact the difference motorist. tells even more strongly against Great Britain.

New York and California Taxation.

wha1

Transport Costs of the Manufacturer.

and

fluctuates so much that we must leave this part of the tax aside.

Car Tax

£12

G

£18

Petrol Tax

Total Average But here are figures of vehiclo taxation compiled by the Ministry This revenue is apportioned as of Transport for the year 1929-follows from

12 h.. PAT LAX

"Luxury" Tux

Revenue)

(Gericral

54

Great

fier Iritain France Italy Y

Ca 25 13 £16 Relief of Rates (Derating) Since these figures were issued

£10

£10

B

£18

Thus, over 55 per cent., of

in Germany which reduce the tax Not applied to roads on the 13 hp. car to about £10, as To Routt Fund important changes have been made Germany now has car taxa- tion on cubic capacity basis. Morcover, as I pointed out, the

Some say

that the excessive average vehicle taxation, petrol motorist's taxation goes in the taxation of the private motorist tax included, is higher in Great form of special revenue to relieve other taxpayers and ratepayers. To Dustrafe

taxation does not matter, but this is an Britain than in the other coun- The motorist pays his full whack

tries. really means to the American absurd contention when we call to

of every other tax and rate. But -nolarist 1 will take Few mind how much the car is used i

Our method of levying tax on when he buys a motor car he examples from particular States, by professional

business the motorist is quite the worst taxed yearly for using a tuxable Here in the Now York method:-- people.

But

we also have about We charge at the exceptionally "luxury" and he is also taxed on Private Cars. State Tax: 28. 1d. the same ratio of taxation for high rate of £1 per horse-power, his petrol to pay other people's per 100 tb, het weight up to 3,500 soode vehicles and passenger ser and any fraction of power rating local rates. On top of all that he 1. and 38, 14. per each 100 1b.vice vehicles, and in these classes which is over one-tenth of a pays handsomely for the roads. over 3,500 lb.

we see its significance clearly.

franks as 4 full b.p., and is charged but only a small fraction of all his An American manufacturerat si extra.

In our system for taxation is actually expended upon would pay £2 78., and a car weigh-moving raw materials and finish-estimating hp. only the cylinder road improvement schemes!

Thus, a car weighing one ton

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TELEPHONE 30228.

33, WONG NEI CHUNG ROAD, HAPPY VALLEY,

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Pioneer Building, Nathan Road, Kowloon.

TEL. 56752.

TRUST A THornycroft WITH YOUR Transport