The National Register. — London, England, 1814-12-18 00:00:00

DEC. IS.. PROPERTY TAX. A Common Hall was held on Wednesday at Guildhall, to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning Parliament against the continuance or renewal of the Property Tax.—The Hall was ex cessively crowded. The requisition having been read, Mr. ‘VAITTIMAN stood forth amidst considerable applause, and said. that in calling the attention of the Liverymen to the subject of the Tax on Income, it would be hardly necessary fi►r him to remind them that it was not the first time that the qnestion had been agita ted in that Hall : that so far back as the year 11f.8, the opinioo of the Livery of London was fully expressed on the same sii*ct, and on many mhsequent occasions they had manifested the same sentiments and presented Petitions against the Income Tax or the Property Tax, between which, indeed, there was no distinction whatever. It would not be proper for him. on the present occasion, to go into more minute details than he had entered into in-the Common ,because, was he disposed In go iota) the drtklTlll cases of op uession which had occurred under the tax in question, his strength, gird the patience of the meoing, would be unequal to the task of at tending to details which would cover the whole I fall in which tl:ry were assembled. Tit:• ohjections to the tax were two-fold--ma to the principle and the manner in which it had been put in execution. In a svar which was sal.] to have been undertahen for the protection of propery, it was but just that the lea fifths should more especi ally tall on that property, the defence of which was the object for which they were imposed. Whether that was the case of the niis. called Property Tax, it was needless to ask ; they all know that the contrary was the truth. Hut that income derived from short an nuities, or f«mi the personal exertion of the individual, should pay in the same rate as landed or other property, was a piece of the most tli.4tant injustice (applause). Because if the person who de rived an income from propery was taken from his family they would enjoy the same means I sulisiatenec which be had posaeaseil, but if the artificer or tradesman died, his family was left destitute and starving. Being the in principle, unjust, it followed that, however impartial and equitable the adminiatration of it might be, there would, nevertheless, be objections to it quite inmperable in a country like this. But when, on the other point—the manlier of its being carried into execution—it was, and must be, so ont rageons to the kelings, so destructive to the peace of families, so deergodiug to Englishmen, it was impossible that it should be endtired. Why, it might be asked, hail it been endured thus tong ? The reason was the necessity vit . the public stifling, and also the necessity which had been repeatedly ineideated on them, in that Hall anal elsewhere, of si fling nothing which might tend to promote dissersion ; the assurance that it would be temporary, and be carried into effect by honourable men, chosen by the people, and the hope that by' making great exertions the war might soon be put an end to.—At that time too, if any one ventured to stand lap against this tax, he was called Jacobin, and branded as an enemy to his country. The tear of such imputation terrified the majority, though, thank God, at all times, there had been sonic whom no danger Ire! deterred from the performance of what they conceived to be their duty. It was stow absolutely necessary to put an end to it altogether, for it it was continued at five per cent. the Ministers would learn the art of.extracting more from the people at five per cent. than had hitherto !wen done at ten (applause). The tax had of late been so enereased, that an entirely new set of officers had been appointed; there were Commissioners nut appointed by the people, with salaries which could not be taken from them by the people—indeed the machine by which this tax was levied was so well fitted for the purposes of tyranny, that it might lie truly called an infernal one (applause). The Commissioners, with the promise of whom the people were billed, were not the only officers ; there were surveyors to watch over the rommiaaioneis ; there were inspee• tots to watch over the asseasora, who, to make the matter better, were generally collectors. By means of these officers, all paid by the people in the end, was the system of oppression carried on. There might he some individuals amongst these officer% against whom the indiguation of the Liverymen had been excited, but the personal character of thew persons was of little consequence ; it was a tyrannical machine, and it could not be honourably carried into execution (applause). If the tax was levied, how coati investiga • tints of private circumstances and consequent injury to the peace and feelings of individuals be avoided? White some escaped paying, others were obliged to send in returns at a larger rate than they could afford to pay, on account of ahe appearance they kept up in thlsworld. While an individual was labottring, with difficulty, to maintain his credit, how could the In q uisition of Commissioners b • supported by hint? How much less weald those support it wile 829 .~ ..- THE NATIONAL, REGT6")TER; were acthally in a state of insolvency? In the last ten years theme had been 13,000 bankrupts ; oinee the tax first ',mooed there feet been 20,000. It . there was any room where so large a meltitimile could assemble, that they might make known the sums they had paid meter the influence of this tertibh. Inquisition, what an arconnt would 'they produce ! —(applause.) He knew a person who had been assessed from sonic hundreds tip to ;MM. a year, while he naa in a state of insolvency, labouring to re-establish hia credit, in whisit attempt, but for that tax, he might have been successful. The af fairs of a house had come to his knowledge in which there were two parteeia, who carrying on business , in a ahewy manner, had never (-laurl more than 1001. a year. Time pressure of the tax, in stu la cast s, would be intolerable. He was that aware that any objection emild be raised to the measure which he tiltalphi bring forward. There was no individual, he beiieved, who would deny it was a bad tax.--Rut it Kati been said we had a war with Ameiteme anti that, therefore, we should coutinue to endure it. He had thought it nu neeeoary heave to distract the attention of the Hall on this topic, his ease was clear enough, the terni of the tax had ceased. Thee had a hundred times called on the Government to reform :h Hansel, to reduce the nanecessary expenditure, and were they now to be told that 'hey should submit to the continuance of this tax, thong!' not name step had been taken to effect their just wishes (applause) The War Tax, which was to be made. a pretext for the continuance of the tax, was unjust and impolitic, it was a war for territorial ac quisition. An unjust war always brought unjust taxelion (applantel. the way then to stop this unjust war was to take away the rinjuat tax which rave the power to carry it on. A Worthy Baronet (Sir W. Curtis) in another place, had lamented the existence of the tax, because, indeed, it fell very heavily on him (a langh), and rave him a great deal of trouble to make his returns to it ; but he was willing to continue the American war mita we had given them a confoneded good flogging (a laugh). Whether the Worthy Baronet had any disposition to give Jonathan a good flogging from early experience on his own person of the good effect of such diacipline. he did not know; Wile had sailed on Lake Champlain, as might have been ex pected from the conspicuous figure he had made lit the Walcheren expedition (a laugh), he might have received a goo I flogging himself. To carry ma a war on a principle of passion and resentment was un worthy the British nation, and seemed ta have been adopted front the practice of the late Emperor of the French, and it became time duty of the people to stand up against taxes raised for the support of sue,' a war, and to discourage any unnecessary - "hostilities with the Americana, who were our best customers, arid had been, for the Ltst 30 . years, time best suppofters awn- commerc e whiCh the own ine of time ports on the continent had shame little to revive. The Worthy Gentleman apologized for having trespassed um much nit their time on a question not exactly within the subject before them, and concluded by proposing a set ies of resolutions. Mr. FAVn. seconded the' Resolutions, and observed that it was nectileis to say much after the address they had heard, and -till less after the *experience they had had *Attie tax, which came home to their feelings and pocke=ts. Indeed inebelicved it would have saved time if the Lotti Mayor had instructed the crier in call for any one cc ho would say any timing in favour of the tax. It was highly honeurelh de to the cii;zens anti the conntry at latge, to have *l4l)ns - tett the tae so long ass they hall dune, in a aleasoll of great national klitilenlti , •. lint they had home it under a pletige that it should cease when the war terminated. The patience with which it haul thug been en dured was an additional and is resistible claim that the pledste which had been riven should be strictly abided by. The pfr,r.ll‘ who had been is the habit of oppnsing the measures of the Govetement, had not thought proper to attack any particular tax, but had rmlea voured to strike at t h e root o f t h e evil—time excessive espenditure• It would not he said, if at last time feeling of the people ecru. excitral against an oppressive anti nrconatitutional tax, that there was any . thing factions or vexatious in such a proc eedin g . It time. opinion nt time Whole nation was shown to he a.t unanimoua, as he haul reastan to believe it would be after a solemn discussion of time question, one great question would he brim:lit to the test, whether the people were to tax themselves through their Represertatives. If the tax was not put an end to, it w add be clear that the people were net adequately represented. The name of time tax. :hat it was a :ma tax, ti\, would, if an m i y think could, increase his easy to t. n lt haft been the ease at the beginilit'g wars, as was the ewe with tart Americaa war, that they !tall been porlar at first ;•so tint tb..y could not be too vigilant at the b ee lmeeog. of apy wars, lest the.f,tci. lity with which - money was atrooled to the Govermeneat, secournecd them to make unjust ercroachmenta ou ()Oita power.. The tir•t American war, and the late Freneh war, had.:been popular at their commenceerents, and had only ceaflt„ hessie iaTen the ha:tit..l4 entailed by them were Wt.- 'Aft ietier raansideratraa I • ; •