Excise & Like Taxes

Excise Taxes

Excise taxes apply to a range of goods are manufactured or imported into the State in particular, beer, spirits, tobacco products, hydrocarbon oils, motor vehicles table waters and televisions (1980) In addition special excise applied to various licences and certificates including

• manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquor
• auctioneering
• gaming betting
• possession of firearms and
• numerous other activities.

Special excise taxes applied to off course betting.

The duties are usually flat rate charged on a fixed unit or quantity of the product. Some goods were subject to taxation based on value.

Securing Payment

Generally, goods may only be sold to traders if duty has been paid or secured by bond or by guarantee. This entails the physical control of goods by manufacturers or importers until payment of duty. The rules in relation to collection of customs duty applies to excise duty on import goods.

Goods may only be imported at specified places. See generally the sections on customs. Special rules apply in respect of excise within the European Union. Goods may not be released unless customs duty and excise is paid or secured. There is the possibility of deferral under guarantee.

Goods may be warehoused in warehouses subject to security. The rules are the same as for customs warehouse. See the sections on customs duties. Goods are taxed at the point of removal for home consumption.

In the case of domestically produced goods, the manufacturer is subject to controls. Excise controls usually involve warehousing by which the goods remain under the official control of Revenue and duty suspended until they are released. They may be kept in a bonded warehouse. They may be deferred with a guarantee and paid at the end of the relevant point of release. The requisite records must be kept.

In relation to beer duty is charged at an early stage of production of the beer on the warts when the unfinished beers collected in vessels officially gauged and approved for the purpose of determining the quantity and strength of the beer to be produced.

Revenue maintains checks and controls throughout the system.

Rates 1980s

The rates of excise duty in 1984 as follows

• cigarette £30 per person +15.39% of retail price
• Cigar is £44 per kilogram
• other tobacco products £29 per kilogram
• beer £146 per standard barrel
• spirits £23 per litre of alcohol in the spirits
• wine ranging from £1.96-£3 93 per litre depending on alcoholic strength
• table water 37p per gallon
• matches ;56p per 7200 matches
• mechanical lighters 20p each lighter
• vehicles depending on horsepower 54.5% of price to the dealer below 16 hp, 64.5% of the price to the dealer above 16 hp
• television sets £24 black-and-white to £121.04 largest colours set
• video and gramophone records 40% of value
• bBetting 20% of off course bets
• gaming machine licence £250 per machine per annum
• hydrocarbon petrol £1.08 per gallon
• Foreign travel £5 for sea and air ticket

Tax Take

• Alcohol comprised 34%
• hydrocarbons 30%
• tobacco products 19%
• motor vehicles 12%

of excise taken in1982

All the rest comprises only a very small percentage between them.

Car Tax

The Finance Act 1920 provide for excise duties on private cars and goods vehicles. The provisions were updated by the Finance (Excise Duties) (Vehicles) Act 1952. In 1966 the rates applicable to cars and cycles were increased by 25% in 1966, 20% in 1970 10% in 1973. In 1976 road tax rates were increased by between 45 and 75%.

From 1 August 1977 road tax on all private cars not exceeding 16 hp (98% of all vehicles) was abolished and an annual registration fee of £5 and £1 respectively applied. The registration charge and annual registration fees increased in the period after 1981.

Road taxes on motor vehicles motorcycle taxis taxes taxis and hackneys  increased gradually from 1981 to 1984 to between £8 and £15 per horsepower annually depending on the engine capacity. The rates on commercial vehicles were flat rate depending on the weight. In 1984 the rates were £10 per horsepower on a car less than 1500 cc

Gambling

Betting Levy is applied to horse racing, greyhound racing and a range of other events. On course betting levies were removed in 1931 and reapplied in 1980 as a stamp duty of 1%. The excise duty on off course betting rose to 20% by 1984.

The Rating Board collected the levy on course betting for the benefit of the racing industry. They contributed the bulk of the prize money to Irish racing. The money come from bookmakers and any profits of the totaliser Bookmakers collect the levy on stakes and winning bets.

Off course betting levy started in 1926 increasing to  20% between 1975 to 1984 On course betting was subject to 2 1/2% levy in 1945 gradually increasing to 6% by 1980.

Stamp Duties

Stamp duty in 1984 ranged between 0.5% to 6% above £60,000. It was 3% between £10,000 and £20,000 4% between £20,000 and £50,000 and 6% above £60,000. There are exemptions from them for new houses where a grant was available,  effectively under a certain size.

Mortgages were subject to duty at 0.125%.

The transfer of shares was subject to 1% stamp duty on Irish shares and 2% stamp duty on foreign shares.

Company capital duty at 1% was introduced in the issue of share and securities in 1973.

A £5 duty applied to credit cards in 1982 and increased to  £10 by 1984. The bank levy was applied to current and deposit accounts of each bank at the rate of .2% and .375%