'File 35/86 I A 32 Muscat Commercial Treaty, 1891: revision of 1905' [‎24r] (51/480)

Translating 1
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T . IQtjh Shaaban 10S8.
Lated Knabiirah,
24tli August 1910,
From,
To,
The Brit/isii Subjects
of lOiaburall.
Tiie Political Ager.t & F.Z.'fs Consul,
M U S 0 A T.
After comp 1 iments.
We humbly beg to bring the following facte
regarding * ashur' to your kind notice.
At first we paid 2 pice per Jirab (date-leaf bag) of
dates, both "Zahiri" and "Hajri" .
Later on, we had to pay 4 pice per Jirab and then at the
time of exporting dates to the north, another 2 pice per Jirab
were levied, thus making a 6 pice ashoor per Jirab. The local
Batini dates were free from ashoor, but were charged with
* zakat' (tax) at 10 fS, being actually taken 10 goonis' out of
every 100 when dates were prepared. But they (Batini dates)
were then free to be exported to any ports without further
duty.
Recently however Eis Highness the Sultan of Muscat
has issued orders that all sorts of dates should be charged
.Ut. with a uniform 5 ( p ashur duty, when exported to the north.
This involves a great loss to us. We beg to say that if the
Sultan wishes to change rates of duty from what those have
been from the times of his forefathers and wants to levy a
tax of £ then we pray for the removal of the old taxes, far
we are poor and cannot afford to pay two-fold duties; the new
5 Jo and the former 10 or the 4 pice or 6 pice per Jirab,
We may state. Sir, that all the neighbour^ifgdports
of His Highness the Sultan, namely Suweylrh, Masnaa, Hark a, and
others