Page 144 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (III)_Neat

6

REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE, 1363.
The total revenue of the State during 1363 was 55 lakhs, not including the Electric Supply
Undertaking which although now entirely a Government concern has in the past been kept separate.
Half of the whole revenue, Rs.27,88,000, was the royalty from oil, customs receipts produced
Rs.20,40,000, the income from Reserve Fund was Rs.2,81,000 and the remaining 4 lakhs were
derived from miscellaneous minor sources. The revenue was Rs.30,000 more than in 1362.
Probably few countries where there is any form of administration and where social services
arc provided for the people enjoy such immunity from taxation as Bahrain. In Bahrain there is
no income tax, no land tax, no zakat and no house tax except the small house and shop tax in the
Manama and Muharraq municipal areas, in these two towns which have population of about 28,000
and 18,000 respectively the municipal house and shop taxes amount to about Rs.59,000 and Rs.17,300
per annum. Customs duties on the majority of imports arc 5 per cent; on non-essential imports
10 per cent is charged and on tobacco and liquor 15 per cent is collected.
The main difference between the revenue in 1363 and in 1362 was that in 1363 customs receipts
were almost 6J lakhs higher than in the previous year. In 136:2 the sum of Rs.7,73,000 was received
from the sale of foodstuffs which had been bought by the Government in 1361. The oil royalty
in both years was almost the same, other sources of income produced slightly more, on the whole,
in 1363 than in 1362.

The total expenditure in 1363 was 33 lakhs, about two lakhs less than the estimated expen­
diture in the Budget. There was a difference of only Rs.12,000 between the .actual expenditure
in the year 1362 and 1363. During the year Rs.13,92,000 was added to the . Reserve Fund. As
in the previous years most of the expenditure was upon salaries of Government employees working
in various branches of the administration in Social Services such as Health and Education, in the
armed forces and in public Departments and also upon allowances to the Ruling Family which
accounted for more than a third of the total expenditure.