More Refugee Relief

If you can provide any additional information on the Refugee Relief stamps, etc., please contact me through my email address at the bottom of the page. Many thanks for your time and consideration.

POSTAL STATIONERY

• An Inland Letter Card with a large stamped (or printed(?)) oval stating, "Refugee Relief Tax/PREPAID IN CASH." It is dated "28.5.72" and is from Kottayam.
  The second one is from Trivandrum and does not have a date in the oval like the one next to it.
  
  

All India "Nasik" overprint

• Airmail envelope (Rs1.55) with additional postage and Nasik "All India" overprinted stamp.

• Aerogramme (85p) with blue impression of Refugee Stamp. This envelope was sent to me (Last name misspelled) on December 15, 1974, after the use of the Refugee surtax.

• First Day Cover of Inland Letter Card with the 5p Refugee Relief imprint issued on December 1, 1971. Notice that there is no rectangle under the address for the Pin number (Equivalent to our Zip Code).

• A copy of the Inletter Card issued on December 1, 1971 with a paper crease diagonally across the card. Please note that these dark green stripes are the result of the scanning and then reducing the size. It is exactly like all the others of this issue.

• The bluish-green Inland Letter Card without the PIN blocks. I do not know the date of issue. The paper at the top was folded over when the top flap was cut and that accounts for the odd shape. The dark blue wavey lines in the illustration are the result of the scan and then reducing the image. The card is the same as all others of this issue.

• First Day Cover of Inland Letter Card with the 5p Refugee Relief imprint issued on November 1, 1972. This card has the space for the PIN number (Equivalent to the Zip Code).

NEW DELHI OVERPRINT - Date on cover is unreadable.

JAIPUR OVERPRINT - Cover is dated ?-DEC-71.

Cover posted at Lucknow - November 17, 1971 (Two days after the imposition of the tax)

Other ways of paying the tax

• The above cover (Only the reverse is shown) has a rubber stamp impression on it reading "Refugee Relief Tax Prepaid in Cash." The second image is a blow-up of that portion of the cover. This was sent to me by a friend, Prashant H. Pandya of Vadodara, India. I have never seen this previously, nor heard of such.

• This stamp from New Delhi also states "Refugee Relief Tax PrePaid in Cash." It appears to be on an envelope from the same Insurance Company (Life Insurance Corporation of India) as the one illustrated above. This cover was auctioned on eBay in March of 2001.

When the required tax was not paid by adding the required overprinted stamp.....

• This Inland Letter Card, issued before the later issued card with the required stamp imprint, would have required an overprinted stamp to be added to it. Since it was mailed on February 2, 1972, the sender should have applied the additional stamp.
  On the front is the purple rubber stamp line that reads, "REFUGEE RELIEF TAX DUE___P.", plus a small black [Postage] "Due" impression. On the reverse is an eight sided city and date stamp, of the receiving city, stating the fee is unpaid.
  The amount of postage due is 10p. Since the Refugee Relief Tax was 5p, was there a double fee as a penalty? I have found the same 10p written on other covers as well.
  

• Cover posted April 19, 1972 with the black rectangular rubber stamp that reads, "REFUGEE RELIEF TAX DUE", stamped on the front. On the front is also written, "Due RRT - 10P."
  The reverse has an eight sided city and date stamp with the word "UNPAID" in it. This was stamped in the receiving city.
  It is curious that the cover has five 5p stamps on it, for a total of 25p postage. Is this the correct postage, plus a 5p stamp to cover the tax, but not recognized by the postal employee since one of the stamps did not have an overprint applied to it?
  Your comments would be appreciated.
  

• Cover posted on January 29m 1972 without an overprinted Refugee Relief stamp. The front of the cover has the black rubber stamp reading, "REFUGEE RELIEF TAX DUE" and 10np written beside it.
  The back has two 10p stamps for a total of 20p postage, plus an eight sided city and date stamp with the word "UNPAID" in it. This was applied at the receiving city.
  

• This cover, mailed on November 2, 1972 has a large [Postage] "DUE" marking from the receiving city and the black rubber stamp "REFUGEE RELIEF TAX DUE" stamp on the front. Between the two markings is what appears to be either a 10 or a 20p (?) in ink.
  It is curious that there is a 10p postage stamp and an overprinted (Smuged and difficult to read) stamp with the Refugee Relief overprint. The person evidently did not use enough regular postage. This cover too, has the eight sided city and date stamp with "UNPAID" in it. This was applied at the receiving city.
  

• Purple, rectangular rubberstamp with "REFUGEE RELIEF TAX DUE."

On April 1, 1973 the Refugee Tax was withdrawn by an act of Parliament. To indicate such, the Inland Letter Cards had to have the stamp image obliterated in some fashion to indicate it need not be paid.

• A copy of the December 1, 1971 Inland Letter Card with the tax cancelled by a rubber stamp. R(efugee).R(elief).C(ancelled). I do not know the place of origin of this rubber stamp.
  This cancellation marking is not illustrated below with the other cancellation markings.
  
  

• I do not know the place of origin of any of these obliterations.

• The Inland Letter Card in Bluish-Green, without the PIN blocks, with a cancellation marking on the Refugee Relief stamp image. I do not know the date of issue of this item. This cancellation marking is not illustrated below with the other markings.

• I do not know the place of origin of any of these obliterations.

• An example of the Inland Letter Card, with the PIN blocks, that had been issued on November 1, 1972, with a cancellation marking.
  This marking is not illustrated below with the other markings found on this issue.
  

• I do not know the place of origin of any of these obliterations, nor the one below.

• A missprinting of the Inland Letter Card with the blue/green colors and the PIN blocks. This is the source for the example of the cancellation of the Refugee Tax stamp imprint with the sideways "X", illustrated to the left.
  Please note that the dark wavy blue lines are the result of the scanning and reducing the size. The card looks exactly like all the others of this issue.
  

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