The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-05-03 00:00:00

THE INCOME TAX.

On Friday, in last week, a large and influential de•
pffiation appointed by the Anti-Income Tax League
waited upon Mr. Gladstone at his official residence in
Do sming-streetfor the purpose of urging upon him the
ni cessity of a total repeal of the Income Tax. Mr. S.
Morley, M.P., headed the deputation, which included,
' among others, Mr. Monk, M.P. Mr. C. E. Lewis,
M.P., Mr. E Price, M.P., Mr. Wheeler. M.P., Mr.
Clay, M.P. Colonel Gray, M.P., Mr. Ralph Ward
Jackson, M.P., Sir R. Gore Booth, Mr. E.
Barring, M.P., and Mr. J. H. Amory, M.P. Mr.
Lowe was present with Mr. Gladittone.
' Mr. Motley said they were not there to offer opinions
as to the relative merits of various taxes, but to enter
a respectful, but decided protest against the con-
tinuance of the Income Tax. They had no desire to
es rape payment, nor did they complain of the amount
they paid. He believed that was a right system of
taxation which placed upon the individual just the
amount of taxation be could bear. They c.implained
that in the present mode of raising the Income Tax
there was something inquisitorial and oppressive. He
believed there were many brokers and others who
would submit to any amount of surcharge rather then
have ti expose their books. He really believed the
tax wee doing an immense deal of harm to the moral
character of the country. Mr. Morley concluded by
roiling Home Tooke'e protest against lining cur.

_ _____
Mr. Twelid, of Lombardstrret, said, as far no he
had the opportunity of judging, the opi __ i.. ns of the
inhabitant, of the City of London were exactly in ac-
cordance with what Mr. Morley had expressed.
Mr. Seaton, of Hull, maid they were not indensible
of the fact that revenue must be raised and taxes paid.
Nor were they igivirant of the hidtory of several
Burlgets, and had noted that last year the duty from
spirits was indicative in a great measure of the pros-
perity of the country. When the country WAR not
prosperous, the cvngumption of spirits must decline
and that of ou:ar increase. So, in time to c me. the
Sugar Ihey having been reduced, there would be no-
thing to recoup the revenue with but the Income Tax,
thus absolutely making the provident habits of the
working cliaddes a scourge to them. He concluded with
quotation from a speech of Mr. Gladstone', which
he considered agreed with his own opinion.
Mr. Wheeler, M.P., mid he representvd a consider-
able body who held that it wag impolitic to continue
further a tax which had always been looked upon as •
War tax.

The Mayor of Portsmouth said the practice was to
assume a certain percentage of profits upon a given
amount of capital and charge the tax upon it, which
was very unfair. Ile also alluded to the hardship
of a man being compelled to open his books to in-
spection.
Colonel Gray, M.P., said there had been a great
public meeting in Bolton, and the general opinion ex.
pressed was that a time of prosperity was the best time
to do away with a tax like the one in question.
Mr. Monk, M.P., said he had been asked by a very
Large and influential body of his oonstituents to.aupport
the views laid before the Premier by Mr. Morley.
Mr. Alderman Green, of Bristol, said his great ob-
jection to the tax was that he had been surcharged
several times, thus being accused of falsehood—the
thing most hateful to an Englishman.

Mr. Gladstone, in reply, said, on behalf of himself
and his right hon. friend, they wore glad to have given
such a deputatiou an that the opportunity of ex-
pressing their opinions upon the Income Tax, which
they had done very succinctly. So far as they looked
upon the argumentum hontinem in making reference
to any speeches of his, those speeches most be considered
by the possibilitlea of the cane, although he did not for
himself recede from them. He was glad Mr. Morley
had explained that they were not all the same opinion
about the Sugar Tax. With regard to the question of
the policy of the Income Tax, he need not enter
at all into the point which had been raised that it
would be made up by increased surcharge on the part
of the officers ; and if his right hon. friend could
have any case brought before him in which
ti won fair reaseu to pre aume that the
devied to make up for the diminished amount of
the tax had been thus exercised, he was quite certain
it would receive very marked and careful notice on
his part. With regard to the statement of the
Mayor of Portsmouth that the practice wan to assume
a certain percentage of profit upon a given capital
and make a charge on that, he took it in default of
other evidence. Of course, the Mayor did not mean to
say that was the principle upon which the law was
administered. Thin, of course, was a deputation ask-
ing the repeal of the tax, but more particularly repree
Pointing those suffering under Schedule D. Ile had
been struck by the general disposition there had been
in the room to forbear pressing for plans for the recon-
struction of the tax. He was glad of it, because, how-
ever en ecceptable the truth might be, it WWI better to
look it in the face. His opinion was certainly worth
no more than any other man's, but he was firmly con-
vinced that the tax was capable of nothing like a
favourable reconstruction. With regard to the repeal
then of the tax, whatever tended to bring it down more
bring it more nearly within the descretion of Parka'.
ment. He could not say they would be prepared to
take up at once the consideration of the claims of the
Income Tax for reduction from time to time with a
with a view to its repeal. That was a very wide pro-
posal, and he should almost doubt whether many
gentlemen he saw around him were ready to take up
that ground. He thought he might say, however, that
their own desires were in the same direction as those
of the deputation, and might also refer to the fact
that, although a fourpenny Income Tax had come to
be regarded as a minimum, yet his right hon. friend
had not been guided by that conaideration, but
hail taken the opportunity to place it as low as
poseible.
' The deputation then withdrew.