§ MR. NIELDI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the sum returned by the Commissioners of Customs in respect of duty paid on tea between the date of the financial statement and the fixed date for the reduced duty coming into operation; and whether there are any outstanding unadmitted claims for such returns, and the total amount thereof.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. ASQUITH, Fifeshire, E.)The concession applied only to tea duty paid on May 1st last before the alteration of date was announced. The amount of duty returned to merchants by the Commissioners of Customs in respect of such tea was as follows, viz:—
The Tea which was returned into bond falls to be duty paid at 5d. per lb. if cleared for home consumption. This 215 will produce £10,005 0s. 10d., thus reducing the net cost of the concession to £9,496 19s. 3d. There is only one outstanding claim, amounting to £4, which is still under examination.
£ s. d. (a) On Tea which had not been delivered from or was returned into, bonded warehouses, the whole duty of 6d. per lb. 12,006 1 0 (b) On Tea delivered from bond, as to which proof to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs had been adduced that it did not go into consumption prior to May 14th, 1906, the amount of the difference between the former and the reduced duty =ld. per lb. 7,495 19 1 19,502 0 1