The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-05 00:00:00

COMPARATIVE TAXATION OF GREAT

BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

The wrongs of Ireland were sung by the great
" Agitator " for forty years; but the song is tuneless
from the lips of thou who share his blood and bear
his name; and the wrongs themselves seem now
happily to be of the things that are past away.
Religious animosities even seem gradually dying
out, in spite of Tablets and Lucius, ; and as the
Irish soldier enters the ranks of the Welch or Scotch
Fusiliers, making a happy confusion or rather
fusion of races, and gives his willing mind
as he has ever given his brave heart and his strong
arm to gain glory for the now really United King-
dom, so the Irish priest joins in loving brotherhood
with the English chaplain in administering conso-
lation to the sick and dying on the fields of Balaklava
and Inkermann. Occasionally, however, some
reference is still made to the old " wrongs," and
though the subject is now, we imagine, a bore, even
to the Irish members themselves, yet we venture to
draw attention to a parliamentary paper lately
kneed, which was intended to show how Ireland
bad been unfairly treated with regard to
taxation and loans as compared with Great
Britain. The paper, of which we gave a short
maim a few days ago, was moved for by Mr. John
O'Connell in August last. We select from it the
lifidlowing statistical details.
First, with regard to the taxes repealed, reduced,
and imposed in the two countries respectively, we
find that during the nine years from 1845 to 1853
inclusive the gross amount of reduction in the
Customs has been 7,888,3971. in Great Britain; and
500,6611.inlreland; the Custom duties imposed during
the same years amount in Great Britain to 12,8224,
and in Ireland to 6,5611. We cull a few of the
more important articles on which the duties have berm
reduced or repealed. On sugar and molasses the
!reduction amounts in Great Britain to 3,656,4651.; is
Ireland, to 316,4361. On foreign spirits, in Great
Britain, to 416,8831. ; in Ireland, to 7,9081. On Bri-
tish spirits, in Great Britain, to 170,7154 ; in Ireland
to 7,3714 On tea,in Great Britain, to 846,6121. ; in
Ireland, to 122,2661. On coffee, in Great Britain, to
145,1291.; in Ireland, to 4,0321. The reduced, re-
pealed, and imposed taxes in the two countries re-
spectively which come under the head of Inland
Revenue, and include excise, stamps, assessed taxes,
and property and income tax, are distributed as fol-
lows. The gross amount of reduction on these taxes
in Great Britain stands at 6,662,3001. In Ireland, at
61,0001.; the amountof increased taxation being in the
former country, 1,324,2701., and in the latter 774,0001.
Among the taxes thus repealed, that on glass
amounted in the last year of its existence to 843,2931.
in Great Britain, and 6,6591. in Ireland; that on
bricks to 462,7651. in Great Britain only; that on
soap to 1,397,6681. in Great Britain only ; that on
windows to 1,879,3541. in Great Britain only. The
reduced taxes consist of stamps on bonds, convey-
ances, attorneys' certificates, newspaper supplements,
receipts, articles of clerkship, life insurance poli
cies, and of the hackney carriage duty. The chief
of the taxes imposed or increased are the duty on
spirits, which amounts in Scotland to 320,0001., and
in Ireland to 270,0001. ; the house tax, which amounts
to 720,0001. in Great Britain only; the pro-
perty and income tax, which is increased
by 250,0001. in Great Britain, and amounts to
500,0001. in Ireland; and the successioa tax, the'
receipts from which cannot be ascertained but which
is estimated to produce when in fall operation
2,000,0001. per annum. All the above are the gross
amounts. The net balance of taxes repealed and
'reduced is 11,980,3751. in Great Britain and 551,1001.
ion Ireland; the increased taxation in Greet Britain
stands at 254,2701.; in Ireland at 730,0604, without
taking into the calculation the succession duty.
The return of the revenue and expenditure in the
two countries respectively since 1844, is too exten-
sive to give in full ; taking the year 1854, however,
we find that the income paid into the exchequer in
Great Britain was 50,311,8954, while the expendi-
ture issued from the exchequer was 46,279,7761.; in
Ireland the amount paid in was 4,118,4491., and the
expenditure 4,895,0621.
As to remittances of public money, to and from the
British and Irish Exchequers respectively, those
from the British to the Irish before 1847 amounted to
8,431,2744, since which year there have been none;
while the remittances from the Irish to the British
before 1847 were 27,335,4531., since that year
1,300,0001. The balance, therefore, of monies pass-
ing from the Irish to the British exchequer (leaving
mad consideration the loans raised in Great Britain
for Ireland), amounts to 20,204,1781. -
As to loan., grants, &c., to the two countries, it
appears that the sums advanced by the Public Works
Loan Commissioners, for works in Great Britain,
from 1817 to 1853, amount to 8,671,1851., of which
6,506,6161. has been repaid, and of the remainder it is
expected that 300,8051. will never be paid; and this
sum is put down as "loss by insufficient security."
The difference, however, between the interest which
the government paid (averaging about 3 per cent.)
and received (averaging 41 per cent.) yielded a profit
far beyond the loss by bad debts. Loans advanced
oat of the Consolidated Fund for works in Great
Britain, under special acts of parliament, amount to
1,004,2041. ; grants under special acts to 1,921,6614;
and sums voted in sdpply to 5,690,9531.
The sums advanced for works in Ireland
by the Public Works Commission between the
years 1828 and 1853 amount to 3,419,1801.,
of which 741,4964 has been repaid, and of the re-
mainder 1,447,9341. is not expected to be paid, and is
set down as loss. Some of these loans have also
produced a profit. but half a million was advanced
far the Midland Great Western Railway at only 31
per mint., and nearly a million and a half for work-
houses, upon which no interest was payable for ten
years. Sinai the Union the whole of the advances
by way of loans to Ireland for public woke, churches,
police, &c.,amonnt to 9,792,5891.. on which 2,728,8411.
has been paid for principal and in terest, auf4,542,9321.
has been remitted by acts of parliament. The grants
for public work during the last ten years amount to
876,7904, the grants under special acts to 51042,4001.,
and the sum voted in supply and remitted to
7,498,1631.

SHE WAR.

A letter in the Prim, dated Sebastopol, Decalther
21, has the following f—m The English are mesh
lees &dimmed is their siege works than we are. :Our
brays allies are serving a hard apprenticeship, and
the harder because the climate renders the transport
of materiel very difficult. Besides, their officers and
sobliers.are not cared for as onraare. They want tor
almost everything. Their magnificent regiments
are in a deplorable state. Their house die off fast,
and their artillery is at this moment drawn by
French horses and mules. It is most afflicting to see
robust intrepid soldiers suffer as they do."

Oar correspondent at Berlin transmits a summary
of an imperial manifesto, which has been issued at
St. Petersburg. It contains the following passages :
" Our duty as a Christian forbids us to desire a
further shedding of blood, and certainly we will not
reject any propositions and conditions of peace, pro-
vided they be compatible with the dignity of oar
empire and the welfare of our subjects. But another
and a no less sacred duty bids us, in this obstinate
struggle, to exert every effort and prepare for every
sacrifice which the greatness of the means of attack
brought against us demands. We will all, if neon-
eery, show a bolb.front to our enemies, with sword
in hand and the cross in our hearts."