The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-17
PERSIA'S CUSTOMS SYSTEM.
The New Ordinance an Improvement
Upon the Old One.

The State Department has received
from John Tyler, the United States Vice
Consul General at TeheraD. Persia.
translation of a royal ordinance inauSu-
rating a new system Of cCstons admins
tration for Persia 1t appears says Nj
Tyler. to be an Improvt ment on the syS-
TEN which it abOlishes and superSedes-
The ordinance reads:
Section / The collection OF octroi dues
caravanserai duties. market taxes. weigh
ing charges, and other imPosts, Of what
ever denomination. has been entirely abol-
jshed: and no officer Of the customs or
any other administration shall. under any
name OF preJeNt. have the right TO claim
these charges.
Sec. ?. All revenues arising from i'm
port and export duties, in conformity
with the regulations established IN A Ii
1916. levied generally on the actual value
Of the goods, at the rate Of per cent,
have been confirmed. States having spe-
ciaI treaties with Persia, in conformity
with which a higher duty than per cent
is levied on imports and exports. are, it
IS TO be understood, not i1-ciuded in this
ordinance The prohibitions contained IN
the law of the 5tn of Ramazua, a. II. 1917
Ghc eth of January, 1900. against certain
imports and exports are still in force
Sec ,. In place Of the internal dues,
which were formerly collected from the
muletzers and others at various places,
we have ordained that at the frontier sta
tons and at seaports a Uniform charge
Of II cents shall be established on each
mule load Of goods weighing $50 pounds
Furthermore If the mule load shall De
above or below this weight, the charge viii
be increased or diminished in proportion
This sum. to be taken from the carriers
Of merchandise, is a permanent charge,
from which no individual person viii be
exempt, either in whole or in part, but
has nothing whatever to do with the mer-
chant, and is collected solely for the pur-
pose Of keeping the roads in repair and
maintaining the guards. In order to give
full effect to this decree and to prevent
any infringement OF the same, we have
given orders that ali goods, whether i'm
ports or exports or local in transit, with
out any distinction or exception, shall
pay this tax to the customs officers at the
customs stations on the frontiers and at
the posts. in the same way as customs
duty The receipt of the same viii be
entered on the transit passes given with
the goods, so that there may be no fur
ther demand at the cities and towns eH
route The animals used for the trans
port OF goods and their tackle are 30 be
considered, and. If necessary held as
guaranty for the payment of this duty by
their owners II the owner OF any ami
NAL shall object TO paying this duty, his
mules or camels VIII he impounded until
payment be made The officers OF Gus
tcH-hOUses are strictly enjoined that in
any action for the enforcement Of the
tax il may be necessary to take they are
under 10 circumstance TO detain neT-
cnandise, but simply to impound the pack
animals pending the recovery OF the tax
We furthermore make a decree that
throughout the Kingdom of Persia no
person. under any pretext whatever.
shall demand 4 road toll or any other tax
for transit. except IN the case of propTie-
tary roads for permission to use them"