!

pire on the 5th of April next, and that he believed that the Commissioners emseveral other war taxes would also ex-ployed in its collection had been actuated pire three months afterwards, in July. by the purest and most patriotic motives. It was an important consideration whe- They were not a set of men appointed ther the renewal of those taxes should and paid by the crown. They were the be contemplated, or the sums necessary same gentlemen to whom the country to pay off the expences of the war should was indebted for the preservation of be levied in a different manner. It was peace, and whose attention and exertions not his intention as he had already stated in the gratuitous dispensation of justice on a former occasion, to propose the re- did them the greatest honour. There newal of the Property Tax; not merely were certainly many provisions in the because that tax was to expire on the Act about to expire, which should not 5th of April next, or the war with Ame- be adopted at a future period without the He could not rica was terminated; for though it was deepest consideration. a war impost, he did not consider the refer to times when liberty was better House precluded from again resorting understood than to those that followed to it, should circumstances render it ex- the revolution.--Yet let the House look pedient. He did not consider that the at the 1st of Queen Anne, second sectransactions of 1806 on this subject tion, chapter fifty-three, enacted at the could bind future Parliaments against renewal of the French, war, and they the interest of the country. He did not would find what duties were then im understand a compact between the Com- posed. Amongst others, there was one mons at large and Parliament. On this of four shillings in the pound, on pensions subject, whatever had been stated in the and annuities, and one of five shillings petitions laid before the House would in the pound, on the produce of profeshave had no effect, had more powerful sions. The Commissioners, or the major considerations, required the renewal of part of them, were empowered to exathis impost. He recollected having heard mine or inform upon oath, and all traa Right Hon. Gentleman begging pardon ders compelled to give returns, sigued by of the House, for the part which he had themselves, of the whole quantity and The Comtaken in 1806, in the increase of the Pro- value of their stock in trade. perty Tax. For himself, there was nothing missioners were besides authorised to which he considered with more satisfac-enter their premises at any hour. With tion than the share which he had in main- respect to the Property Tax, whenever taining that impost. He believed that it had been possible to make the assessthe Property Tax had been the means ment without personal injury it had been of rescuing the land from its difficulties, done. The property in the funds was of supporting the exertions made in the assessed to its full amount, without any cause of European independence, and difficulty. That in land was also pretty effecting the delivery of nations.-(Hear, clearly ascertained, but that engaged in hear, hear!)—It had saved the country trade was of a less tangible shape, and a funded debt of 203 millions. It had its assessment could not be very correct. produced in money 150 millions, and If, on the revival of the tax, a new mode saved a capital of unfunded debt of 180 of assessment could be found in that parmillions, and near nine millions of per- ticular branch, it would probably contrimanent taxes. Yet however productive bute to render it more productive. it had been, and however useful it might then alluded to a clause included in the have proved at a time when large sums Act in 1803, for allowing private examiwould be wanted, he did not think proper nations, but which did not fully answer te revive it, but considered it more ex- the end proposed. Having thus entered pedient to preserve it as a resource, in into a defence of the provisions of the case of the future renewal of war, to be Property Tax, to prevent that odium resorted to enly in the greatest emergen- from being left, which had been ex cies, as the firm basis of our public cre- pressed against it, and which it so little dit. (Hear, hear!) He had been told deserved, he would now proceed to state of the inquisitorial nature of this tax, and the reasons which induced him to think many complaints had been uttered in its renewal unadvisable; though in the the House against the vexaions which present year, when large sums would be it was said to occasion. For his own part, wanted to liquidate arrears, such a msa

B 2

He

As to

fication, the present system must have
been overthrown, and one more vexa-
tious established in its stead. As this
impost would, therefore, now encounter
many difficulties in its operation, and
as it was not the intention of Parliament
that it should be employed except as a
war tax, he thought it was far better
to lay it aside entirely, and to return to
one of those resources which at all
times remained open to the country. He
was convinced, however, that in point of
right, had it been expedient, it would
have been excusable to have preserved it
for the purpose of diminishing the sum
which must be raised by loan.
the amount of the expenses of the year,
until the ratification of peace by Ame-
rica should be received, it would be im-
possible to ascertain it correctly. He
could not enter into any details on that
subject, as its reduction would in seme
sort depend on the period at which this
intelligence should be received. What
he should now propose would therefore
not be entirely on the footing of peace
expenditure. Large sums of money would
be required this year: sums, which
even the renewal of the Property Tax
would not have covered. But since it
was abandoned, the loan must be consi
derably larger. In taking an enlarged
view of our present situation, he would
not compare it with that of the country
when it was involved in difficulties at the
close of the American war, and our pub-
lic credit was really giving way. He
would oppose it to the most flourishing
period of our history, that which preceded
the long and extraordinary warfare in
which we had been engaged.

sure might have appeared to many pre
ferable to raising a loan, and on account
of the advantages which it promised to
yield, perfectly justifiable. At the Peace
of Amiens, the Property Tax had been
pledged to make good a large sum of
money, and charged for a period of nine
years. Though its renewal would there-
fore have heen authorised by present
circumstances, he had considered that
the immense fluctuation of price which
had taken place in almost every article
would have introduced so great a variety
as to make returns extremely difficult.
The impost would have fallen, besides,
with particular weight on the class of
farmers, who would have found them-
selves rated far beyond their real property.
The assessment had been calculated en
a fair average, but when the fluctuation
of prices became excessive, the average
could no longer be regarded as just.
Many ideas had been suggested to con-
tinue that tax during the present year,
with various modifications. It might
have been done on three different prin-
ciples. By exempting those classes, on
whom its operation was considered as
likely to produce an unfair pressure, and
including all fixed property. But the
chief ground on which this impost had
been cheerfully borne, was, that all were
included in it. When that should no
longer be the case, it would appear that
Government were encroaching on the
good faith of their creditors. Another
mode might have been adopted; persons
might have been charged in a proporti-
onate ratio to their incomes; the rich
might have been made to pay much, and
the poor, little; but this would have
been impracticable. The act gave no
insight into the whole income of any one;
it charged every species of property,
without enquiring about its proprietor.
Any gentleinan, for instance, might be
a partner in a banking-house in London,
might be one of a commercial partnership
at Bristol, might hold a share in a ma-
nufactory at Manchester, and have
100,000l. in the funds (a laugh); for
every one of these he would be assessed
separately; he might gain on the one
and lose on the other, and no one would
know his real income. There was no
case in which the whole of a man's re-
venue was known, unless when he ap
plied for an abatement to be made. To
revive the Property Tax with this modi-

Charges on Imperial Loan

Ditto on Portuguese Loan

Charges on Civil list and others

Making a total of

466.000 of the war. It must likewise be recollec 57,000 ted, that after twenty years of actual 1,571,000 service, the state of our navy required very extensive repairs. Respecting the peace establishment, he did not think he

37,544.000

Which being deducted from the above 40,962.000 should be able to bring it under 18 or

19 milions, including the Irish establish-
ment. He should be happy to find
another
year, that a greater reduction
should be practicable. The present calcu
lation would allow two millious for Ire-
land, and 17 for Great Britain.
To meet the annual sum, he would take
from the Annual Taxes and Consoli-
dated Fund, nearly

He would continue War Taxes to the
amount of .:

And would levy additional Taxes to
an amount of about

6,000,000

6,500,000

5,000,000 17,500,000

The sinking fund, which now produced upwards of eleven millions, did not yield at that period more than 1,300,000l. It was true that we now had a debt of 650 millions, and that it only amounted to Making in all 250, at the time of the breaking out of There would then only remain two milthe revolutionary war. We had in addi- lions to be provided for Ireland. The tion an unfunded debt that must be pro-expense of the Loan for the present year. vided for. But to meet that expense, we and the charge of the unfunded debt, had 20,000,000 of war taxes. If it were would also still be to be defrayed. If it possible to reduce our expenditure to what it was at the commencement of the were possible to reduce the amount of the war, then we should have ample means which was at this moment utterly imestablishment to 13,000,0001. peace in our power to encounter it: but it must practicable, still the taxes which he had be evident to every one, that such a re-mentioned would be necessary. duction was impracticable, and that exertions must be made to meet what could

He

thought them preferable to making an not be avoided. The expense of the Every gentleman in the house must be application to the sinking fund.peace establishment would depend upon aware of the expenses which a long war the wisdom of Parliament; he wished entailed upon a nation. These it required its most deliberate attention should be time to liquidate. After the contest with given to the subject. But it would be America was closed, it was not until unfair to look merely at what the peace 1786 that Parliment took the Peace Esta establishment cost formerly, and not to blishment seriously into consideration, take into consideration what was now and even as late as 1791 the Committee really wanted. An augmentation of ex-reported expenses incurred on the account pense was rendered unavoidable at present, by many circumstances connected with the prosperity and greatness of the empire. We must of necessity augment our Military Establishment, on account of the increase of our Colonies. Malta, the Cape o Good Hope, several important islands in the East and West Indies had been added to our dominions; and a great extent of services had been provided by Parliament, which it did not depeud on Government to reduce. Amongst these might be mentioned the expence of the half-pay allowance, and the widows' pensions, which alone would not fall much short of the whole amount of our military establishment at the beginning

of the war. Therefore he thought he spoke within compass, when he said that it would scarcely be practicable to wind up the Peace establishment in less than four years from the present time. Until 1819, therefore, it would be necessary to have resort to funding Exchequer Bills, or Loans; and, to meet the charges which those would occasion' with new taxes. In this he had the example of Mr. Pitt, who as early as the year 1784, proposed by anticipation to form a fund to liquidate the debt theu funding. There was also the unfunded debt, the charge for which was also to be provided for, as well as for that which was funded. The first resource to meet this expenditure might ha

the continuance of the war taxes, which [of 3s. 6d. per window. This assessment would have expired last Christmas, had would not yet admit of very accurate they not then been renewed till next estimate; but it was calculated it July. There were some that had since would produce 50,000l. a year.— expired, such as those on the Export of The next tax should affect the rates of British Manufactures, and on goods inhabited houses in a scale of augcarried coastways. These he did not in- mentation, forming an increase of thirty tend to renew, and if he did, their per cent. on the present taxes. The rents amount would not have been consider of warehouses should be subjected to able. Neither did he propose to continue the same impost. The produce of the the duty on cotton wool, if imported in tax upon houses was estimated at British ships. This provision, he thought, 396,5007. and that on warehouses at was but a fair encouragement to our 150,0007. The next would be laid on planters, and no one could contemplate servants and carriages, and would be a it with any regret. He would not read more considerable and progressive inover the list of taxes; they were familiar to crease of 30 to 90 per cent. If any Genevery one; he would state their total tleman should object to such an augamount, which for the year finishing in mentation, he begged of him to recollect January 1815, consisted of 9,857,000l. what proportion it bore to the Property From this were to be deducted 2,750,000l. Tax. The produce of this tax on serand 630,000l. for taxes which had al- vants, exclusive of those in trade, was ready expired. He should propose to con- calculated at 419,000l. a year. The lat tinue only out of the rest to the amount ter would not produce so large a sum, of 6,513,000/-Ile should now proceed the estimate was about 148,000l. The to the new taxes which he had in view. iopost on carriages, at a rate of about He thought he should gratify the curiosity 75 per cent. would produce, it was of the House if he did not bring them thought, 360,000l. That on the horses forward in the usual order, but come at of pleasure, for he should refrain from once to the Assessed Taxes, on which taxing those for husbandry, would bring the attention of most people seemed to at the rate of 30 per cent. about be fixed. He should not propose any ad- 632,5001. The new duty on trade horses dition to the duty on windows in inha-would only be 40 per cent. and would bited houses. He knew it was a tax most produce 85,5007. That on dogs, at 30 inconvenient to the middling classes, per cent, would yield 105,5007., and that whom it was his most sincere wish to on game certificates, 42,0007. Bacherelieve as effectually as possible. But be lors had hitherto paid an additional duty would lay a duty on new objects, to be on servants only: they should now pay included in the denomination of windows an increase of 50 per cent. both on serhe meant green-houses, hot-houses, vants and carriages and horses. The and conservatories, which had hitherto produce of this tax was expected to paid no duties. The assessment would be amount to 120 0007. and the total of the made on a superficial measure of glass, of new Assessed Taxes to 2,500,0007. 48 feet, which should be deemed equal should now proceed to the additions he to a window. The rate would not be pro- intended to make to theWar Taxes which gressive, but would not exceed 3s. 6d, were to be retained. He should propose per window. Thus an extent of glass, an additional duty on tobacco, on thẻ 60 feet broad by 12 in height, would pay ground that the peace with America upon the whole 37. 78. 6d. No one, he would necessarily reader the price of that trusted, would consider such a tax ob- article very low, and enable it to bear a jectionable. (Hear, hear !) Considering fresh duty of nearly 9d. in the pound, the great advantages which traders would at the rate of 2d. three-farthings per der.ve from the opening of the European pound paid to the customs, and cd. per ports, and the revival of peace and com-pound paid to the excise, which would mercial relations throughout the world, he thought they might fairly be brought to contribute more than they had done to the public service. He should therefore propose, that shops and warehouses should pay the same proportionate duty

He

jointly produce 300,0007. The excise duties or wine should also experience an increase of 201. per tun, which would: yield a revenue of 500,000/ annually. The next tax would not perhaps be unobjectionable. It might

war.

RATZ.

PRODUCE.

Customs-Tobacco, 24d. per lb.
Excise Tobacco, 6d. per lb. 130,000
Licences-Double fixed Rates
50 per cent. progressive. 300,000
Wine-201. per tun
500,000

ASSESSED TAXES, viz.

Inhabited House Duty, 30 per

cent. .

Progressive Servants' Tax, 80
to 90 per cent.

596,000

308,500

Under Gardeners, &c. various 101,500
Trade Servants and Servants

for bire, various . . 148,000
Carriages, about 75 per cent. 363,000
Horses for pleasure, about 80

per cent.

Trade Horses, about 40 per

632,500

150,000

950,000

press hard upon the persons whom it however, would be a subsequent consi} concerned, but it was an object which deration. The total essimated amount had scarcely experienced any increase of the new measures which he has already during the whole of the late protracted proposed, was 3,728,0001. He meant licences to dealers in For the better information of the Comexcisable articles. A duty of fifty permittee, he would repeat in a more concent. progressive upon these would nected form the statements which he had produce 300,000l. It would certainly made, enumerating the various articles, be unequal in its pressure, but by a describing the rate of duty, and the proreference to the 43d of the King, c. 65, bable produce, viz. it would be found that what he proposed was moderate. The whole of the new taxes under the head of the Excise would yield to the country 950,000l. a year. He would now proceed to imposts of a different description. The first would not be very considerable, and this was not the first time that it had been thought of, though it had never yet been entirely adopted. As early as 1788, it was proposed that one penny should be paid on every newspaper sent by post. This had been carried into effect with respect to papers forwarded by the Two-penny post, but not by the General: for it was supposed that any thing that would check the circulation of papers would have an injurious tendency. But he was certain that no one who indulged in the luxury of reading á London Paper, a luxury with which all were well acquainted, would deprive himself of that enjoyment for the sake of saving one penny. He should apprehend, however, that Members of Parliament would contrive to receive their newspapers free of postage. (Here a general cry of No, no, arose, and Mr. Whitbread said across the table, 6x Tax "Members,") As it appeared to be the universal sense of the House not to avail themselves of their prerogatives on this occasion, he would make no exception in their favour in this duty, which was calculated to produce 50,000l. a year. It was not his intention to propose any further vote with respect to the Post Office that night; but other measures were in contemplation, which he should hereafter submit to the judgment of Parliament. These, however, would not affect the inland revenue. They would refer to the establishment of a regular conveyance of letters to the East Indies, and to an improvement in the measures adopted last session with respect to foreign and other ship letters, from which he expected that the revenue would derive an augmentation of 75,000l. This,