§ 31. Mr. Holtasked the President of the Board of Trade which countries are imposing an export tax on deliveries of raw cotton to the United Kingdom; the amount of any such tax, in pence per pound; and what steps Her Majesty's Government is taking to induce such countries to remove these taxes.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThe details for which the hon. Member asks are contained in the statement given below. I may say, however, that in all cases the tax applies to exports to all destinations and not merely to exports to the United Kingdom. I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by Her Majesty's Government making representations for the removal of these export taxes.
Following is the statement:
Column 2 of the table below gives the rates of taxes imposed on exports of raw cotton by the countries (listed in column 1) which impose such taxes. The rates 259W of tax are shown either ad valorem or, in the case of specific rates, in United States cents per lb. of raw cotton, which is the unit normally used internationally.
Country Rate of Tax Belgian Congo 18 per cent. ad valorem. Brazil 3 per cent. ad valorem on exports from South Brazil. Egypt 11.83 cents per lb. French Equatorial Africa. 24 per cent. ad valorem. Haiti 2 cents per lb. during 1951–52 season. India 10.65 cents per lb. Kenya and Uganda. Sliding scale from nil when price does not exceed 7d. per lb. to 1.4 cents per lb. at 13d. per lb. Thereafter duty is increased by 0.28 cents per lb. for every increase of 1d. per lb. or part thereof. Leeward Islands From ½d. to 1½d. per lb. Mexico 4.77 cents per lb. Nigeria 10 per cent. ad valorem plus one-tenth of 1 per cent. for every £ or part of a £ by which value exceeds £325 per ton. Pakistan 7.70 cents per lb. for Desi cotton, 13–85 cents per lb. for other varieties. Peru Tax is calculated on a comparison between an estimated cost of production and spot quotations. St. Vincent 6 per cent. ad valorem. Sudan Varies between 10.07 and 14.37 cents per lb., according to grade. Tanganyika Varies between 11.20 and 5.60 cents per lb. according to grade. The above table is as nearly complete as currently available data will allow.