Abstract
THE text of the Import Duties Bill, whereby an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent is to be charged on goods imported into Great Britain, has been issued, and we are glad to see that newspapers, periodicals, and printed books, and radium compounds and ores are among the articles exempted from the impost. As was pointed out in our issue of Feb. 6, p. 195, the revenue to be expected from a tax on imported scientific literature is negligible; the only effect of such a duty would be to increase the cost of scientific research. It is encouraging to find that this aspect of the matter is appreciated in Government circles, and that, amid the many claims for exemption which have, no doubt, been put forward, consideration has been given to the needs of scientific workers. Affairs do not seern to be so well ordered in Australia. It will be recalled (NATURE, Nov. 28, 1931, p. 900) that the Commonwealth has in force a duty of 10 per cent on imported books and a sales tax of 6 per cent; this, with the depreciation in Australian money, has proved a serious handicap. Incidentally, it has demonstrated our contention that, as a source of revenue, an import tax on books is not worth consideration. However, it is stated by the Canberra correspondent of the Times, in a message dated Feb. 11, that a deputation including Sir George Julius, chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, has waited on the Prime Minister, Mr. Lyons, who has promised to consider the exemption of historical records and scientific periodicals, although he will not consider the early and total remission of the sales tax.
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Tariffs and Imported Scientific Books. Nature 129, 271 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/129271c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/129271c0