'File 35/134 III (A 54) Sur: Ja`alan- Amirs of.' [‎46r] (107/426)

Copy of a letter dated Karachi 18th September 1930 from
Mr. B.S.Thomas, Finance Minister, Muscat State, to
Major T.C.Fowle, C.B.E., Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. & H.B.M's Consul,
The points which we discussed yesterday are as follows.-
(i) The nature of Customs leakage is two fold affecting
exports and imports in a like degree.
(II) In theory an export tax is not Customs: in practice, in
regarded to.square with Commercial Treaties as Zakat which is
otherwise uncollectable in the interior*. This export tax in
the Batinah is a flat 5 ^ of assessed value except in case of
firewood ?-£ In Sur ; however^ where exports consist chiefly of^-
(a) Bisr (i.e.e dried dates) from Sharkiyah and Ja , alan #
(b) Dried fish
this system of a percentage value does not hold.
(III) The *Bisr’ tax at Sur is a tax on each camel load of
of the commodity arriving from the interior. If I remember
rightly n dollars - I increased it recently against the fall
in the exchange and in the degree suggested by the TCali who
considered any bigger increase may cause trouble.
I doubt whether the yield of this tax is more than % of
the value.
(IV) Fish catches at Sur bear a normal tax based on auction
value, in accordance with old usage. If another more rigid
system, that of farming G-overnment* s share to a contractor as
is done in Gwadur were practicable - which it is not under
present conditions and without the application of force - it
would I consider produce some Rs.8000/- a year - about twice as
.much, as the present yield. The Gwadur system referred to is to
auction Government* share of xj\0 of the catch for the ensuing
year to a contractor. He is a fish merchant, meets each boat,
takes Government’s share \j[0 of each variety of fish caught
Muscat, on recess at Karachi.
Customs leakage at Sur
the Muscat State^ it is and has bee
so and can be