Finance Act 1940

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved
Citation1940 c. 29


Finance Act, 1940

(3 & 4 Geo. 6.) CHAPTER 29.

An Act to grant certain duties of Customs and Inland Revenue (including Excise), to alter other duties, and to amend the law relating to Customs and Inland Revenue (including Excise) and the National Debt, and to make further provision in connection with Finance.

[27th June 1940]

Most Gracious Sovereign,

W E, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects the Commons of the United Kingdom in Parliament assembled, towards raising the necessary supplies to defray Your Majesty's public expenses, and making an addition to the public revenue, have freely and voluntarily resolved to give and grant unto Your Majesty the several duties hereinafter mentioned; and do therefore most humbly beseech Your Majesty that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

I Customs and Excise.

Part I.

Customs and Excise.

S-1 Beer.

1 Beer.

(1) The duty of excise charged in respect of beer under subsection (1) of section one of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1939 (hereafter in this section referred to as ‘the Act of 1939’), shall be charged at the increased rates set out in Part I of the First Schedule to this Act; and accordingly the said section one shall have effect as if the said Part I were substituted for Part I of the First Schedule to the Act of 1939.

(2) In the case of beer in respect of which it is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that a duty of excise at any such increased rate has been paid, the excise drawback allowed under the said subsection (1) shall be allowed at the increased rates set out in Part II of the First Schedule to this Act, subject to the provisions of that Part of that Schedule; and accordingly the said section one shall have effect, as respects beer in respect of which it is shown as aforesaid, as if the said Part II were substituted for Part II of the First Schedule to the Act of 1939.

(3) The duties of customs charged under subsection (2) of the said section one in respect of beer being an Empire product and beer not being an Empire product shall respectively be charged at the increased rates set out in Parts III and IV of the First Schedule to this Act; and accordingly the said section one shall have effect as if the said Parts III and IV were respectively substituted for Parts III and IV of the First Schedule to the Act of 1939.

(4) In the case of beer in respect of which it is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioners that a duty of customs at any such increased rate has been paid, the customs drawback allowed under the said subsection (2) in the case of beer being an Empire product and beer not being an Empire product shall respectively be allowed at the increased rates set out in Parts V and VI of the First Schedule to this Act, subject to the provisions of those Parts of that Schedule; and accordingly the said section one shall have effect, as respects beer in respect of which it is shown as aforesaid, as if the said Parts V and VI were respectively substituted for Parts V and VI of the First Schedule to the Act of 1939.

(5) This section shall be deemed to have had effect as from the twenty-fourth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty.

S-2 Spirits.

2 Spirits.

(1) The duties of customs charged on spirits under subsection (1) of section three of the Finance Act, 1920 , in addition to the duties specified in Part II of the First Schedule to that Act shall be charged at the increased shall have effect as if the said Schedule to this Act were substituted for Part I of the First Schedule to that Act.

(2) The rate of the duty of excise charged on spirits under subsection (2) of section three of the Finance Act, 1920, in addition to the duties specified in Part III of the First Schedule to that Act shall be increased to four pounds, seventeen shillings and sixpence per gallon computed at proof; and accordingly the said subsection (2) shall have effect as if for the words ‘four pounds, two shillings and sixpence’ there were substituted the words ‘four pounds, seventeen shillings and sixpence’.

(3) This section shall be deemed to have had effect as from the twenty-fourth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty.

S-3 Tobacco.

3 Tobacco.

(1) In lieu of the duties of customs charged on tobacco under section five of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1939, there shall, subject to the provisions of section eight of the Finance Act, 1919 , be charged on tobacco imported into the United Kingdom of the descriptions set out in the first column of Part I of the Third Schedule to this Act duties of customs at the rates respectively specified in the second column of that Part of that Schedule.

(2) In lieu of the duties of excise charged on tobacco under the said section five there shall be charged on tobacco grown in the United Kingdom of the descriptions set out in the first column of Part II of the Third Schedule to this Act duties of excise at the rates respectively specified in the second column of that Part of that Schedule.

(3) The drawback allowed under section one of the Manufactured Tobacco Act, 1863 , on tobacco exported from the United Kingdom or deposited in a bonded or King's warehouse shall, in cases where it is shown that the duties charged under this section have been paid, be allowed at the rates set out in Part III of the Third Schedule to this Act instead of at the rates set out in Part III of the Fourth Schedule to the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1939, but subject to the provisions affecting allowance of drawback contained in the Schedule to the Finance Act, 1904 .

(4) This section shall be deemed to have had effect as from the twenty-fourth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty.

S-4 Matches.

4 Matches.

(1) In lieu of the duties of customs charged on matches under section four of the Finance Act, 1933 , there shall be charged on matches imported into the United Kingdom duties of customs at the rates specified in Part I of the Fourth Schedule to this Act.

(2) In lieu of the duties of excise charged on matches under section eight of the Finance Act, 1927 , there shall be charged on matches manufactured in the United Kingdom duties of excise at the rates specified in Part II of the Fourth Schedule to this Act.

(3) Subsections (4) and (5) of section three of the Finance (New Duties) Act, 1916 , shall apply for the purpose of the duties charged under this section as they were applied by the said sections four and eight for the purpose of the duties charged under those sections respectively.

(4) This section shall be deemed to have had effect as from the twenty-ninth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty.

S-5 Mechanical lighters.

5 Mechanical lighters.

(1) The rate of the duty of customs charged under section six of the Finance Act, 1928 , on the importation into the United Kingdom of any mechanical lighter, and of any component part of a mechanical lighter other than a flint, shall be increased to three shillings and sixpence.

(2) The rate of the duty of excise charged under the said section six on every mechanical lighter manufactured in the United Kingdom which is complete, or which could be made complete by the addition of a flint, and on every mechanical lighter sent out in an incomplete state from the premises of a manufacturer of mechanical lighters shall be increased to two shillings and sixpence.

(3) This section shall be deemed to have had effect as from the twenty-ninth day of April, nineteen hundred and forty.

S-6 Extension of period of stabilisation of Imperial preference in case of sugar, &c.

6 Extension of period of stabilisation of Imperial preference in case of sugar, &c.

(1)6. of section seven of the Finance Act, 1926 (which, as extended by section eight of the Finance Act, 1938 , provides for the stabilisation of rates of Imperial preference, in the case of the duties of customs chargeable on sugar, molasses, glucose and saccharin, during a period ending on the nineteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty) shall, in so far as it relates to the said duties, have effect as if the said period were extended so as to expire on the thirty-first day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-two.

S-7 Drawback of duties under Safe-guarding of Industries Act, 1921.

7 Drawback of duties under Safe-guarding of Industries Act, 1921.

(1) Drawback of any duty paid under Part I of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, 1921 , may be allowed under the Second Schedule to the Import Duties Act, 1932 , and section nine of the Finance Act, 1932, in like manner as if the duty had been chargeable under Part I of the Import Duties Act, 1932:

Provided that no drawback shall be allowed by virtue of this section on the bringing of any goods into a registered shipbuilding yard within the meaning of section eleven of the Import Duties Act, 1932.

(2) As from the date on which an order made under the said Second Schedule comes into operation with respect to goods of any class or description on which duty has been paid under Part I of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, 1921, subsection (1) of section twelve of that Act (which provides for drawing back the duties chargeable thereunder) shall cease to have effect as respects goods of that class or description.

S-8 Excise licences for vehicles belonging to members of forces on leave.

8 Excise licences for vehicles belonging to members of...

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