§ Mr. F. GRAYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that books imported from Germany by English booksellers are detained for payment of duty under the German Reparations (Recovery) Act, 1921, with consequent delay to the annoyance of customers, while books imported by individuals direct escape both delay and the payment of duty; and whether steps may be taken to relieve English booksellers of this loss and annoyance?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSIt is not the practice to insist on payment of Reparation levy in the case of single postal packets of printed matter addressed from Germany to private individuals in this country. But I cannot agree to extend this very limited concession to commercial importations, nor am I aware that English booksellers are prejudiced as suggested.
§ Mr. GRAYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that a large number of publications reach this country under the description of periodicals without payment of duty under the German Reparations (Recovery) Act, 1921; and whether he can inform the House of the principles which guide the officials in determining publications falling under the heading of periodicals and escaping duty and those that are liable to duty as books?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe hon. Member presumably is referring to the provisions of the German Reparation (Recovery) Order No. 1 of 1922, made by the Board of Trade under their statutory powers. Under this Order any publication in the German language which is proved to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise to be a periodical publication of a German learned society or other scientific or philosophical periodical publication is exempt from the provisions of the Act. The scope of the exemption is thus restricted to clearly defined limits, and the question whether any given publication falls within these limits is one of fact.
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§ Mr. GRAYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there is any separate record of duty paid under the German Reparations (Recovery) Act, 1921, in respect of imported books; and, if so, whether he can inform the House the proportion of receipts which represents penal duty paid by the English importer in respect of which no recovery has been made from Germany?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part of the question, I am not aware of any reason why the payments made by the British importer should not in all cases be recovered by deduction from the price paid to the German supplier in accordance with the procedure contemplated by the Act.