THECUBAREVIEW 27 



No. PLATE III.— EXPORTATION. 



1 United States .?242,r.38,133 Gs'.S 



5 Other countries of America 3,676 264 1 



. . Germanj'^ [ 



6 Spain 3,025,01 i ' 8 



3 France 12,970,856 3.6 



2 United Kingdom 52,776,331 14.7 



4 Other European countries , 5 689 686 1 6 



7 Other countries lioi3|429 3 



8 Money 34,781,640 9.7 



356,571,350 100. 



CUBAN CIGARS p.^^.^^ ^^,-^^^ 77,131,428 in the corresponding 



According to the official report of the period of one year ago, showing a decrease of 



Cuban Custom House, the exports of cigars 12,645,100 cigars. The largest shipments 



to foreign countries from January 1, 1917, to went recently to Great Britain, Spain and 



August 31, amounted to 64,486,328, as com- the United States. 



STAMP TAX LAW 



The Cuban law of July 31 , 1917, provides for stamp taxes of various kinds, with the object 

 of securing funds for the payment of the interest and principal of a new bond issue of §30,000,000, 

 as well as for special war purposes. The new taxes, wliich became effective September 1, 1917, 

 apply to a wide range of operations, including all ordinary commercial transactions. For the 

 application of the ta.xes all operations of a mercantile character are required to be evidenced' 

 by a written instrument or memorandum signed by the purchaser or seller. In the case of 

 orders, commercial invoices, and other documents regarding contracts or other business opera- 

 tions carried on within the countrj', the tax varies from 1 cent, where the amount involved'is 

 from SI to $10, to $1 where the amount exceeds $1,200. Receipts for money paid in private 

 transactions must bear a stamp of 5 cents where the amount is paid from $25 to $50, while for 

 n^ceipts of over $50 up to $100 a 10-cent stamp is required; for over $100 up to $500, 20 cents; 

 and for pajTnents exceeding $500 a $1 stamp must be used. The same scale of taxes applies to 

 letters of credit, drafts, promissorj^ notes, vouchers, orders of all kinds for the payment of money 

 and commercial instruments not included under some other heading. Other docimients and 

 transactions for which special rates are fLxed include transfers of securities, public documents 

 certified by notaries, insurance policies and guarantees, public registers, bank and savings 

 account books, diplomas from educational and other institutions, puVjlic bids, copies of public 

 records, certificates of j)r()perty, game licenses, licenses to carrj- fireanns, licenses for automoljiles 

 and otlier veliicles, and steamship tickets. On steamship tickets the tax is 5% of the value 

 for first-class tickets and 2% for second-class tickets. Docmnents not bearing the required 

 stamps have no validity, and fines may be iinposed. 



Of a slig.htly different nature is the tax on the production of sugar. The law provides for a 

 general tax of 10 cents per sack, and, in addition, a special tax of 10 cents per sack for war pur- 

 poses is to be collected as long as the price of sugar in Habana does not fall below 3 cents per 

 pound. Taxes are also imposed upon molasses and upon hides not mtended for domestic tan- 

 neries or leather-working factories, and upon explosives not belonging to the Government 

 stored in public magazines. 



A ruling having been rendered that the stamp tax is applicalsle to invoices of goods purchased 

 abroad, the Habana Chamber of Commerce appealed to tlie Secretary of the Treasury to reverse 

 the ruling on the ground that it was contrary to the terms of the law which taxes only transac- 

 tions consummated within the Republic. As a result an order was issued on October 9, 1917. 

 that commercial invoices presented for use in customs clearance should not be subject to the 

 stamp tax unless representing sales made by local agents or representatives of foreign firms or 

 by commission houses located within the countrj'. — Boletin Oficial de In Secretaria de 

 Hacienda. 



