Chapter VIII · IMPORTS, DUTIES, VALUES, AND CONSUMPTION.
Reading edition
A comparison of the taxation of the chief nations of the world for the consumption of tobacco has been published in the Imperial Statistics of Germany. Of the countries where the sale is a Government monopoly, France last year stood first, the gross duty, with profits, amounting to 7s. 1½d. per head of the population annually, the net revenue from the article being 5s. 8¼d. per head. In Austria the gross was 5s. 5¾d., the net, 3s. 5d.; in Hungary, the gross 3s. 3½d., the net 1s. 7d.; in Italy, the gross 3s. 11d., and the net 2s. 8¼d. In Great Britain, the duty and licenses brought in 4s. 10¾d. per head of the population for the year, and in the United States 4s. 4½d. In Germany, on the other hand, where the duty was very light, the average was no more than 7¾d. per head of the population.
The duties on unmanufactured tobacco are 3s. 6d. a lb. when it contains 10 per cent. or more of moisture; 3s. 10d. a lb. when it contains less than 10 per cent. of moisture. Snuff containing no more than 13 per cent. of moisture, 4s. 10d. a lb.; 13 per cent. and upwards, 4s. 1d. a lb. Cigars pay 5s. 6d. a lb. Cavendish of foreign manufacture pays 4s. 10d. a lb.; that manufactured in bond, 4s. 4d. Other sorts, including cigarettes, pay 4s. 4d. a lb.
The approximate relative values in the London market are as follows:—Maryland, fine yellow, fine, and good 272coloured, 7–9½d. a lb.; colory, 5–7d.; light-brown and leafy, 5–(7½)d.; ordinary and brown, 4–4½d. Virginia: Fine Irish and Scotch spinners, 7–10d.; good and middling, ordinary light and dry, 6–10d.; fine black sweet scent, and middling do., (6½)–(7½)d.; part blacks, 5–6d.; ordinary and heated, 3–5d.; mixed parcels, ordinary and good, middling and fine, (5½)–(6½)d.; stripped leaf, 4d.–1s. Kentucky: fine long light leaf, 7–11d.; good to middling do., (5½)-(7½)d.; fine and middling blacks, 6–8d.; ordinary and mixed, 2–5d.; stripped leaf, fine, light leafy, middling and ordinary, (4½)–11d. Negrohead, 11d.–1s. 6d. Cavendish, 4½d.–1s. Amersfort and German, 2¾d.–1s. 6d. St. Domingo, 5–(7½)d. Havana, Cuba, and Yara, 1s. 2d.–6s. Turkish and Greek, (2½)–9d. E. India, Japan, and China, 2–9d. Java, 5d.–2s. Colombia (New Granada), 5d.–2s. 6d. Manilla, 8d.–4s. Manilla cheroots, 4s.–7s. 6d. Havana cigars, 5–40s.
Imports, Duties, and Values.—Our imports of tobacco in 1879 were as follows:—
(a) Unmanufactured: From United States, 25,743,880 lb., value 682,253l.; Holland, 6,215,930 lb., 266,109l.; China, 1,444,192 lb., 36,265l.; Turkey, 1,214,319 lb., 32,627l.; Japan, 805,928 lb., 24,003l.; France, 651,350 lb., 14,585l.; Belgium, 515,009 lb., 15,501l.; Argentine Republic, 470,309 lb., 10,870l.; Germany, 426,139 lb., 25,602l.; Straits Settlements, 267,258 lb., 29,718l.; British India, 246,305 lb., 3605l.; New Granada, 241,638 lb., 9621l.; Canada, 121,920 lb., 3473l.; other countries, 497,043 lb., 14,256l.; total, 38,861,220 lb., 1,165,488l.
(b) Snuff: From all countries, 7719 lb., value 92l.
(c) Cigars: From Spanish W. Indies, 495,518 lb., 273value 494,974l.; Germany, 150,460 lb., 46,318l.; Holland, 116,218 lb., 31,348l.; Philippines, 80,199 lb., 21,738l.; France, 73,348 lb., 24,071l.; Straits Settlements, 51,191 lb., 13,822l.; China, 48,762 lb., 11,240l.; Belgium, 46,536 lb., 14,211l.; British India, 33,208 lb., 10,898l.; United States, 14,625 lb., 5461l.; other countries, 43,978 lb., 19,184l.; total, 1,154,043 lb., 693,265l.
(d) Cavendish or Negrohead: From United States, 2,247,557 lb., value 84,422l.; other countries, 45,052 lb., 1964l.; total, 2,292,609 lb., 86,386l.
(e) Cavendish, manufactured in bond: 33,069 lb., 7126l.
(f) Other sorts, including cigarettes: From United States, 52,206 lb., value 7999l.; Holland, 25,273 lb., 1372l.; Channel Islands, 15,470 lb., 1279l.; Germany, 14,474 lb., 4472l.; France, 9497 lb., 2368l.; Belgium, 7939 lb., 2086l.; other countries, 12,328 lb., 3845l.; total, 137,187 lb., 23,421l.
Following are statistics of the imports of tobacco for the year 1884, being the latest available.
Unmanufactured Tobacco.
Quantity. Value.
lb. £
From Germany 1,464,350 57,435
” Holland 5,728,744 246,795
” Belgium 299,863 10,994
” France 733,207 23,975
” Spain 1,265,347 24,370
” Malta 81,026 1,160
” Turkey 1,114,143 46,545
” Algeria 85,580 3,081
” British East Indies 918,066 11,082
” Philippine Islands 45,989 3,785
Carried forward 11,736,315 429,222
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” China and Hong Kong 1,813,221 63,566
” Japan 1,876,787 46,081
” British North America 150,056 5,188
” United States of America 37,186,980 1,183,102
” Spanish West India Islands 361,095 17,972
” United States of Colombia 122,570 3,589
” Ecuador 76,642 2,085
” Argentine Republic 131,013 2,970
” Other Countries 75,728 2,476
Total 53,530,407 1,756,251
Cigars.
Quantity. Value.
lb. £
From Denmark 2,349 1,243
” Germany 151,650 46,512
” Holland 78,471 22,231
” Belgium 109,388 32,789
” Channel Islands 2,501 1,645
” France 49,313 24,061
” Gibraltar 1,437 982
” Malta 1,008 390
” Greece 1,750 600
” British Possessions in South Africa 1,615 687
” British East Indies 188,354 45,218
” Philippine Islands 201,652 56,208
” China and Hong Kong 25,659 6,242
” Australasia 3,740 883
” United States of America 166,740 98,510
” British West Indies and Guiana 2,313 1,198
” Spanish West India Islands 467,315 453,610
” Danish West India Islands 2,448 1,519
” Mexico 59,727 37,249
” United States of Colombia 1,004 686
” Brazil 4,519 2,089
” Other Countries 4,127 2,008
Total 1,527,080 836,560
275Cavendish or Negrohead.
Quantity. Value.
lb. £
From Channel Islands 78,569 5,156
” British North America 64,910 3,244
” United States of America 1,243,720 59,780
” British West India Islands 16,332 2,764
” Other Countries 32,315 1,646
Total 1,435,846 72,590
Snuff.
Quantity. Value.
lb. £
From Brazil 4,099 830
” Other Countries 96 24
Total 4,195 854
Other Manufactured Tobacco.
Quantity. Value.
lb. £
From Germany 9,993 2,920
” Holland 20,657 1,173
” Belgium 7,740 1,616
” France 17,985 2,818
” Malta 5,968 1,592
” Turkey 5,444 1,674
” Egypt 31,662 13,306
” Algeria 6,410 1,580
” United States of America 76,472 20,039
” Spanish West India Islands 6,259 865
” Other Countries 9,625 1,968
Total 198,215 49,551
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