MetService annual profit slips as it invests in new ocean business, pays more tax

MetService annual profit slips as it invests in new ocean business, pays more tax
By Suze Metherell Oct. 6 (BusinessDesk) - Meterological Service of New Zealand, the state-owned weather bureau, reported a 5.6 percent drop in annual profit as a bigger tax bill and higher costs from its new acquisition weighed on earnings. Profit fell to $2.6 million in the year ended June 30, from a $2.7 million a year earlier, according to Wellington-based MetService's annual report. Sales rose 7.9 percent to $45.6 million, its third-highest since becoming a state-owned enterprise in 1992. Profit before tax gained 13 percent to $4.3 mi...