Nanking, Oct. 28.
A storm of protest has been aroused against the collection of an addition al tax of 20 per cent. ad valorem on rolled tobacco by the Kuangtung Provincial authorities. The arbitrary levy has been enforced since the 22nd inst.
"The Shanghai City Chamber of Commerce, in telegrams to the Minerty of Finance and the Kuangtung. Provincial Government, points out that the mew levy imposed by the Kwangtung Provincial authorities but another form of likin which the Government has already officially abolished.
"The revival of likin, in various guises, in the provinces of Hunav, Hupeh, Kiangsi and Fukien, the message recalls, has been successfully Suppressed by' the Central authorities. The present attempt of the Kuangtung Provincial Government in the same direction calls for similar action by the Central authorities.
'According 10 Article 5 of the Rei ulations.governing the Consolidated 'Tax, the message points out, no lev.' may be imposed on any article on Which the consolidated tax has al-Feady been collected. Rolled tobacco being one of the articles on which consolidated tax is collected by the Government, the additional tax of 20 per cent. ad valorem on rolled tobacco imposed by the Kuangtung Provincial Government is therefore contrary to the rules and ordinances of the Central Government and its should therefore be abolished—immediately.
Tu this connection, it is learnt that the Shanghai Chinese Tobacco Mer~ chants' guild, at a meeting yesterday, decided to" petition the Internal Revenue Administration to suspend the issue of licences for the tr portation of rolled tobacco to Kua tung, pending abolition of the illegal levy' by the Kuanglung Provincial Government.
Beginning from the 27th, it was! also "decided, the Internal' Revenue Administration should refuse to refund the consolidated tax on rolled tobacco to any merchants who wilfully pay the illegal levy to the Kuangtung Provincial authorities, as such action on their part is bound to stiffen the attitude of the Kuang tung Provincial Government vis-a-vis this important issue. A petition to this effect has been vent to the Administration—Kuo Min.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.