Finance Act 1977

2Tobacco products

(1)For the Table in section 4(1) of the Finance Act 1976 there shall be substituted—

(2)For the purposes of paragraph 1 in the Table in the said section 4(1) any cigarette more than 9cm. long (excluding any filter or mouthpiece) shall be treated as if each 9cm. or part thereof were a separate cigarette ; and for the purposes of section 6 of the said Act of 1976 (power to alter rates of duty) the percentage and the amount per thousand cigarettes in that paragraph shall be treated as separate rates of duty.

(3)The [S.I. 1976/2134.] Tobacco Products Duty (Increase) Order 1976 shall cease to have effect,

(4)The Treasury may by order provide that in the enactments relating to the duty charged by section 4 of the said Act of 1976 references to cigarettes, cigars, hand-rolling tobacco, other smoking tobacco and chewing tobacco shall or shall not include references to any product of a description specified in the order, being a product manufactured wholly or partly from tobacco or any substance used as a substitute for tobacco but not including products commonly known as herbal cigarettes or herbal smoking mixtures; and any such order may amend or repeal subsection (5) of that section.

(5)The power to make orders under subsection (4) above includes power to vary or revoke a previous order and shall be exercisable by statutory instrument.

(6)Subject to subsection (7) below, any order under subsection (4) above shall be laid before the House of Commons after being made; and unless it is approved by that House before the expiration of twenty-eight days beginning with the date on which it was made, it shall cease to have effect on the expiration of that period, but without prejudice to anything previously done thereunder or to the making of a new order.

In reckoning any such period no account shall be taken of any time during which Parliament is dissolved or prorogued or during which the House of Commons is adjourned for more than four days.

(7)Subsection (6) above shall not apply to any order containing a statement by the Treasury that the order does not extend the incidence of the duty or involve a greater charge to duty or a reduction of any relief; and any such order shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the House of Commons.

(8)Subsections (1) to (3) above shall be deemed to have come into force on 4th April 1977.