asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if, under the Emergency Imposition of Duties (No. 267) Personal Clothing and Wearing Apparel Order, 1951, articles of personal clothing and wearing apparel will be permitted to be imported under licence without payment of duty or at a reduced rate of duty in cases where the articles concerned were ordered or in transit prior to the 10th December, 1951.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Clothing and Wearing Apparel Imports.
There is no power to permit the importation of the articles referred to at any lesser rate of duty than that which was chargeable at the date on which the goods were imported.
As regards the question of permitting the goods to be imported free of duty, the fact is that duty free import facilities have not, for many years past, been granted in respect of articles of personal clothing and wearing apparel. The Deputy will, I am sure, agree that it would be most inequitable that persons who imported such goods on the 10th December, 1951, the date on which the increased duty became operative, should be allowed to bring them in free of duty, whilst a person who imported similar classes of goods on the previous day had to pay duty at the rate then prevailing.
I do not entirely agree with the last portion of the Minister's reply because the operative date makes all the difference between bringing goods in which were ordered prior to that date and bringing them in subsequently, but in the Revenue Commissioners' notice they state that licences will be granted for a remission of duty or a reduced rate of duty and that appears to me to be misleading.
There was an increase in duty. I have no power to give a licence to permit goods to be imported at the old rate of duty; I have power to permit goods to be imported free of duty—which should not be done under the circumstances because duty free licences for these goods have never been granted.
That may be so, but in the notice from the Revenue Commissioners it is stated that goods may be imported at a reduced rate of duty or that the duty may be remitted entirely. A number of people who read the Order are under the impression that if they made application to the Department the duty would be reduced or remitted for goods ordered prior to the date in question.
I have no power to do that and the Revenue Commissioners have no power to do it.