Page 412 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (I)_Neat

-5-
410 m

raising revenue is quite understood*
It is however interestin': to remark that the only
comment on this change of duty came from a British fir
whose inports ere quite unimportant in value to the
State, and. even so, such imports are 1'or certain
’permitted* persons ’in*a commodity which is admitted
only bv o special concession by 11. i). the Ruler. The
comment resolved itself into the suggestion that imports
whose invoices were dated prior to the date of the
change in duty should be admitted at the prior existing
rates, accompanied with the curiously ingenuous state­
ment that such was the custom accordin'* to ’interna­
tional law’ !

These changes in the rotes of import ’duty explain
why the total collections, above, of duty from steamers’
cargoes is larger in 1351 than in 1350; and same may
be analysed thus:-

Collections @ 5 — Rs 2,50,346/-
" 71& 23,833/-
" log — I 16,118/-
n 15? — 4,103/-
Rs 2,94,400/-

If. however^ the collectipns for the year 1351 had been
all at the list rate of five par cent od valorem, this
item of Rs 3,94,400/- would have been 2,75,662./-, a
difference of IU 18,738/— and it is this figure which
enables one to form a just comparison between the two
years. It v/i 12 be remembered that the rate of was
in force for nine months, and the rates of ten per cent
and £jTtcen -er cen^ '7ere in force for three months oniy;
and they have produced an-increase in the receipts of
Rs 18,738/- only, a fact which seems to justify the ex­
pectation that the ten per cent rote might with fair­
ness be applied to all imports except tobacco etc.,
and alcoholic liquors, which I suggest could easily
bear a duty of 25£ ad valorem.
The changes m the rates of duty, however., hove
had a more marked effect in the case of collocti ons
upon postal unreels; the sum of Ks 16,519/- is made up
thus:-

Collections (3 5£ - Ls 2,066/-
7j£ - 8 500/-
n .
lpr - 5,903/-
15? - 50/-
-Ks 16,519/-
. IT the flat rate of five per cent had been main­
tained, this figure would have* amounted to Ks 10,702/-
only; out so marked a difference is to be expected,
since urticles of the luxury type are more likely to
come here as parcels than as general cargo. Although#
the quantity of parcels have considerably decreased in
the nast year#
The sane remark may justly apnly to passengers’
baggage but it is not quite so pleasing to see a decrease
in the collections for Sxuort Duty which is collected
unon dates and pearl shells. The inference is that
less dates were exported, which ms to be expected, as