The National Register. — London, England, 1816-02-18 00:00:00

POLITICAL DISQUISITION. Tax on income, we may be asseired, is prineitrally a • • direct WI upon the rent of land. To make it of Porereirkes of POLITICAL ECONOMY applied ai A . TES? upon commercial income is impossible, unlee every man's fio. Me P?opriely of A TAX on INCOM E . . books are inspected by the Gov e r nmen t, an d ever y trades , , man and manufacturer converted into a mere receiver IN our ken we considered the I roperty-tax in rela- , , take fur Government. As a tax upon land, and interest of tien twits innueliate influence. • We have now to tom money or flouted property, it may he fully, and fairly, a 'view of it upon prineiples of politieul economy, at. 3 and easily collected. As a tax upon commercial gains, it considering it us a permanent syetein of revenue. On can never be fully collected, even with all the ingenuity this subject e we must claim u I* Ile the attention of our of ego i ton end as,,s.,,sen. It . it were se, readers, while we uttmupt 14/ ras briefly "il " it erould be a tax upon commercial espital, a tax upon clearly as we can, sonic principles and data with rest industry, a tax upon the productive energies, upon the eo taxation, the revenge, and public as well as private vier vita!, or vital power of the industrious class of society, wealth, which we believe are not generally known, or by whom alone, public and private revenue is created, with the truth of which the public at large are not suf- .and private wealth accumulated. Here again we have ficiently impressed. another proof of the ultimate tendency of all taxation to It has been for a long time a question among financiers bear upon the rent of laud, and permanent revenue. For anti political economists, out of what source taxes are the source of all income is industry : if then the tax talus actaally raised ; whether they bear ultimately upon the from the amount of that which is necessary to the support land alone, or are _fairly divided between all parties in of the industrious; or to their accumulation, by which the :eanrannity, and paid out of commercial anti menu new capital for improvements is raised', it takes just so fiteturing hulastry. To resolve this question fully and muchfimu what would be the increase of rent ultimately accnretely, it, is necessary to go somewhat profinindly to be added by it to the sources of permanent revenue. into the nature of the different sources of revenue and of The quantity of tuxes, then, that a nation will actually wealth, which in a weekly register of politics would be bear without injury, is just so much as can be spared front impossible. We shall endeavour to avoid this ; but must the permanent sources of' revenue. These, as fin- as they briefly premise, that all income or revenue must be de- are W here i s must .be left to their present possessors. lived either from the rent of land, timn interest of lint there is a surplus which may thirly be raised by tax money, the profits of trade, or the wages of labour. ation ; and which, being taken from the rents and un- Ultimately, however, it will be kind, that profits accu- productive sources of the revenue of the people, L. no di ululated, and interest to be . continued for any length of • minution of the means of increasing wealth. This is time, will be converted into the rent of land. W ealth the excess which the . wealthy devote to luxury, ana itself consists of permanent and eonstimalde things. The which, if taken from then by takation, is afterwards dis pennanent are land, houses, and reiehineee ; the con.. triboted among the people by the expenditure of Govern imitable, live-stock, raw produce, and manufactured aid meat. Wealth thus is made to circulate. The means of men:mild goods. the rich are lessened, but others employed by the Govern- Rent, interest, profits, wages of labour, may be con- meat are supported and enriched, and property is only sidered as the titles by which each man's claim to these made to change hatols. We now speak of such cxpen various articles, as they annually arise and are consumed, diture as is confined to domestic employment, and which may be ascertained : for the mass of the whole people certainly does return anon z the people from whom it has must divide the whole wealth, or growing produce, and been raised; and if raised wholly or principally from the esise;naa ct,mmoditics, together wit' the houses maul laud wealthy, theluxuriotee and the idle is still caPondedsmon of the nation, according to some g.. en proportion, which the industrious and productive part of the esnnuunity. may be estimated by the whale value of rent and inte- In the hands of the rich, it would be employed in luxuries; rest, and the whole amount of pinks of trade, of wages, in the hands of Government, it is made to supply the lux und of labour. These various items, therefore, we will uries of a Court, the multiplied combinations of systematic consider .as pot for the whole community ; and any warfare, and the influence which alone gives power and charge uplift the wealth of the whole community must stability to the Government, which could have no exist be tlistrileseed, among them according to these propor ence if it did not thus divide the people among them time, as they exist at any given time. selves; and, raisin °. from the many the means of its sup • Supixtee any portion of this wealth to be raised from port, arm and col:line the few to unite in ruling over among 9', ai people, however it ma y a y be raised, it must them. Absolute power is a phantom. of the imagine ultimately l ie stronace so as to bear upon tue perms- tion ; real power is the union of the Government and its nent, and not the actual or present wealth, for the time dependents, who raise from the people the very means which, being, of the eonnuunity. If it is raised by taxing land, distributed among themselves, engender, combine, and houses, and the interest of molten, this is a direct tax on peril etaate their ascendancy. Power therefore, to be even permanent inct»ne, and is a mere tranefer of the perma despotic, must be, divided among numbers against still vent property limn its present possessors, to sonic other greater numbers, from whom the sums which are indivi persons to whom it is distributed by the hands of Go.. dually raised are too small to excite serious diseoutent. vent:tient, through the medium of their expenditure. There is, however, a limit to this system of taxation; since, If it be raised directly on commodities, they must be if the influence of the Government be extended among taxed in money, or seized in specie, which is nearly the too great a number, those who remain umnet equal to same thing, and the dealer in the commodities raises the prices of them according to the tax. By this mean's, the their support.We have hitherto considered taxation in the abstract,with tlcaler himself entirely avoids the berthen of the tax. out regard to the operation of money, or circulating Wme , ere the peels arbitrarily seized in specie. the effec t dium, dium,in which taxes are raised rani paid, anti in which would be nearly tile same; for traders generally purchase the wealth and means of the people are estimated. To epos credit, and to rein the trader is to ruin the credi understund the complieated system of mtrlern finance, tor and the capital jet ; atrial' which, in the general insolveo anti the moe in.whic taxer. ire utd with respect cy ofall classes of the comniiinity. is, we lichevO, very clearly to their hurt d hen upon h the peeple, di it str is ib nec e essary to have pew( ived at the moment in which we arc 111:W writin i;* sonic clenr idens upon this subject. liaise /nonce and levy taxes in a way, wa , it will, we •We have • already eetabliebed some fixed notions and believe, ultimately fall upon the rent of laid, houses, and irrefrassable data concerning the reed wealth of the pen machinery, although for a time it may be borne rather pie, anti the sowers firm which it is raised, as well as the severely Inv the traders anti manuti:eturent. We are means by which it is diitributed. Before we can eluci ourselves, indeed, fully convinced that a perpetual charge date clearly the effect Of any particular xystem of taxa can only be paid by a perpetual fund, such as the law ton tinn, we must briefly trace the nature of the medium in England dueignates by the term real estate. The national which it is erdettlettel. This will lead us to a short ac debt will theretitre be found a mere charge upon the count of the efiLvt of money, whether in paper or in national rents. - 'Faxes levied in one year, may bear upon metal, noon the revenue of the State and people ; and we the industry of the country; and the rent of land, indeed, fnd, that we mist neoesearily reserve this for a future is the result of the industry of the country. Bat indus- et,,,,iy. We crave the indulgence of our readers try is at all times kept at its full stretch, according to the the - week; nod we trust we shall then be enabled tt, I habits, and nature of property, at any given them the Innecal influence of all taxation of income. . epoeli of time. Diminish industry, and wealth is 'Biel cannot explain ourselves further at present : we ha' rished; lessen the rewards of industry, and the excite ready said. that if a tax on income were not unitise,' '• Trent being gone, the activity and pnwers of life, so to ruinouseuri oppressive, we must support it even falook, winch are neeessery to the maintenance of the and we Bite to convince them at data, that the . natioual industry, are d e steoyal Th e mereen n th en , that sere, an , i just systrat of notation, is the taxation an:.. system of taxation lea:ins to press severely upon this modities. in doing this, we attack no party, ' cisr ' that moment national iTrialle is diminished, because no personal animosity—. , - . orm merely the fildoetry becOntes either palsied or barren. aud' re ve ilue • Lave undertaken, . '"•-7 in -,-,.,. times of and taxation U. 1 : . . ' . t , A" ; . - • . 0 ... • 1, - • " -.-.- • - —.4 ••.‘ - '4 , er • . • ' • 0.•:,, s 1 . , ` lo l4oae.eb" . • . . . . . . . ; 2 :t ~ - --~ ~ l__.~~__.: _--~.;. -.6 girt of public instruction which ought to be de. mended of a free press, and which constitutes its sole utility. We have devoted our pages to free, calm, and • unprejudiced inquiry.. We wish to speak of measures, rather than of men; and we trust, that our readers will' not place the leis' confidence in our advice, because it is given with the calmness which becomes truth, and the firmness which bespeaks sincerity. ebe ROCtiirat 41VOtlitOt.' NUMBER 1. SALUS POPULT 9UCSCNA Err irx. A NIONG the most prominent traits which characteriie the present state of society in this country, we may reckon; as not the least advantageous, that universal love of me— dical reading, which reigns amongst all orders of people.. The desire of obtaining information on a subject so impor tant to mankind in general, and so interesting to every individual, as the preservation of 'health, is at once both natural and laudable, and deserves rather to be cultivated . and encouraged than discountenanced and suppressed. At. the same tinie, it is no lacy essential that this active proper.- shy should not be suffered to prevail without being guid ed into a proper and useful direction, and that an ade quate supply of salutary materials be atfonled for its due employment. Various, however, and great are the culties which stand in the way of accomplishing so desira ble an object. No study, indeed, is so fenced ite with technicalities, or dependent on so many auxiliary sciences. as that of medicine; nor can it be successfully practised as . an art, but by him who, to years of preparatory study, shall. have added the fruits of long personal experience. Ana-• toniy, Physiology, Botany, Chemistry, the laws of organic life, and the r.:ciprocal action of mind and body upon each. other, must be familiar to who would detect the latent. nature of the numerous diseases afflicting the hu— man frame, and apply remedies for their removal. So - extensive a study, and such exclusive attention to one ob.. • jest, however important, can hardly be supposed.compati ble •• - ith. the ordinary - of the generality of r- the grmeml reader, and thus become the common property of society at large. A series of such truths, comprising the fund mental principles of mediall science, it would be highly advantageous to diffuse among the generality, of people; while the practical adaptation of these general principles to the particular cireunvkawes of individual diseases, would be most successfully directed by those whose peculiar education, and exclusive devotion to the science as a profession, more immediately qualify them, for the office. Such a general knowledge of medicine; as that which I now sulvocate, would enable hint who pos sessed it, to discriminate between the ignorant pretender andthe real man, of science; would protect him tom 'the artifices of illiterate and designing empirics, anti become. at once a safeguard to his person and his purse. It is a lamentable fact, that even in the present enlight-- ened state of the public mind, medical empiricism should stalk abroad with such unblushing front, and that so many should tall victims to the unprincipled impositions suflired . to pass in this country with impunity. No more certain. cheek could be given to this evil, nor a more ready. stop In put to its extensive prevalence, than by constituting the elementary principles of medical science a part of gene-. rid ethicatiou, and thus teaching the well-informed youth.. lo subject the prete.usion of the .empiric to the scrutiny of rational exaMination. A generation must pass.awny,. before the good etfacts of .such a plan could he fully reit-- fired: in the mean time, impressed with a conviction,. that much good might arise from a more general diffusion of medicel opinions, grounded on extensive exrrio tee , . . . and supported mit from , . . • , • • ...,.__ . , .t .. . elabt ..• 43Aatto nail . . .:. • .. i ,.,.... ... ' 4 Our laing,CtntOtttution ant( Uffizi. . . , r • l`k:o• • 49.4.—V0L. VIII. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18. . Pales 91d. _ , . __ ______ - • _____ u i.. - .......... _ A. \ ble with. the ordinary pursuits of the generality of per- sons, and hence an argument has been adduced against the utility of all popular me.lical reading. This went, however, is more specious than solid, and all y pes. . rather to the detail than the principle A simple dirt ~4 important truth, the result of years of laborious resc.u.ch,. or the f)rtunate discovery of some diligent enquirer, may .i • be communicated in. lang,uage easily comprehended by ,- , - - --- nature nt the medium in and mpported by scientific principles, I purpose to Ads.• viii lead us to a short ac- mit from time to time fir public consideration, throng% whether in paper or in ilte medium of this paper, a statement of the prey ,-,.i. Tf"-ii N Stat 3 and people ; and we disuses of the metropolis, actomponied by such obse - ` resavc this for a future tion , ; as may appear best calculated to lead to the' adop • .. . ( 1 41 14. : ,` ,) ) tee of our readers for aim- of those general me'sur..s of prevention or removal, w . . ~.....; at dl then be enabled to spew / it is in ate power of every oike to pursue, and thus to co, • , ~ 'II ll taxation of income. We tribute, e. , much as i s in my power, to the diminution , - /or rat present : we have al,- individual distress, and Cue pmmotion of the general w ' • ue were not unpist,partiai, ;fare. That the task might easily have fallen into ... 1 .., .! :' • • a support it even in peace; able boards, I will readily allow; but the silence of • .. \t. ..,. ,.. , although better qualified, on so interetting a torie,, coat. A...'11 1 . at lag, that the only true, is the taxation of cum- forta no justi.icatign for withholding my int:able radar,- owl no party, gve gratifY Yours; whilst, however improper and unsuccessful say. - , e , :530-- .xform merely the task we be my attempt, in zeal and good iateutions I lama oss, in times of ailcul t •Y' luetasuly give place to any one. ilk , , . _.. ... . . . .. '. . • . , • •, •I. :. s • .' , •.. • • 4 . ...A.-4'471'14W. .. .• . . . •.- . r . . , •,• • . • . .. . . ts .. • . , . 4f4). • ttigddliggilldllllllL._., , - .i.',At gale , I I .~ 4~ (. ..- AL._