This Act may be cited as the Death Duties Amendment Act, 1926, and shall be read together with and deemed part of the Death Duties Act, 1921 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act).

Section twenty-six of the principal Act is hereby amended by omitting from subsection one the words “ten per centum,” and substituting the words “five per centum.”

The reduction in the rate of penalty provided for by this section shall not operate in any case where the period of three months referred to in subsection one of section twenty-six of the principal Act or the extended period therein referred to, as the case may be, has expired before the passing of this Act, but in every such case a penalty shall be added to the unpaid death duties as if this section had not been passed.

Section seventy-five of the principal Act is hereby amended by omitting the words “At any time,” and substituting the words “If application for a refund is made in writing at any time.”

If before the passing of this Act application for a refund of any duty paid in excess has been made within the time limited by the said section seventy-five as amended by this section, a refund of such duty may hereafter be made as if this section had been in force at the date of the application.

The provisions of section seventy-seven of the principal Act shall, with the necessary modifications, apply with respect to the charges constituted by Native succession duty in the same manner as they apply with respect to charges constituted by death duties or gift duty.

The Native Land Court, or any Maori Land Board, or the Native Trustee, or the East Coast Commissioner, having for the time being possession or control of any moneys belonging to the owner of any land subject to a charge in respect of Native succession duty, may, in its or his discretion, satisfy such charge in whole or in part out of such moneys.