73. Mr. E. P. Smithasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Government of the United States imposes a 20 per cent. ad valorem duty on all British books imported by the United States; how long this tariff has been in existence; and if representations have been made by His Majesty's Government to the Government of the United States to abolish this impost.
§ Mr. BottomleyThe United States duty on imported books varies according to category. On the item of chief interest to United Kingdom exporters, which is unbound and bound books, sheets or printed pages of books bound wholly or in part in leather, pamphlets, and music in books and sheets, if of bona fide foreign authorship, the duty under the Tariff Act of 1930 was 15 per cent.ad valorem. This rate 164W was reduced to 7½ per cent. ad valorem under the Trade Agreement with this country which came into force on 1st January, 1939. This duty has been further reduced to 5 per cent. ad valorem under the International Agreement just concluded at Geneva. The item second in interest to this country is books and pamphlets not of bona fide foreign authorship on which the duty under the Tariff Act of 1930 was 25 per cent. ad valorem. This duty was reduced to 20 per cent. ad valorem under the Trade Agreement with this country of 1st January, 1939 and has been further reduced to 10 per cent. ad valorem under the Geneva Agreement. Books for children's use in which the United Kingdom has a small interest were dutiable under the 1930 Tariff Act at the rate of 15 per cent. ad valorem. This rate has been reduced to 7½ per cent. ad valorem under the Geneva Agreement.