Kōrero: Taxes

Fresh fruit is displayed inside this greengrocer’s shop. At this time there was no direct sales tax – consumers paid tax indirectly on imported items such as tobacco which attracted customs duties. Petrol tax ensured that transported items were more expensive. In 1933 the government faced a budget shortfall so it introduced a sales tax of 5% overnight. The tax was not applied to all products and there were exceptions for most food items.