The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-24 00:00:00

bth of April next, being one year after the actual termina•
tion of the war.

The motion was agreed to unanimously.
Mr. Stmrsoa, manufacturer, moved
That the present systan of levying the income and
property taxes, by taxing permanent and precarious in-
comes alike, is manifestly unjust, and has now beoome an
intolerable burden upon the professional and trailing
classes of the country. And this meeting is of opinion
that nothing short of an entire revision Gf the mode of
assessment will satisfy the country.

Mr. Huvwoon, M.P., thought the reason 'of the
injustice and inequality of tho tax had been a
matter of routine more than anything else. His
own feeling on the subject was that the Government
ought to take off the extra tax on the very first
opportunity that they can do so with due regard to
the honour of the country. He should be very glad
it they could do it in April, but the honour of Go.
vernment was pledged, and they must stick to their
principles; but he Wily agreed with the meeting on
the inequality of the tax.
. . . .

Mr. PARKER, M.P., concurred with the motion, but
would not pledge himself to any particular course of
conduct.

Sir G. STRICKLAND supported the motion, which
was agreed to unanimously.
The following propositions were also adopted by
the meeting :
That this meeting condemns the practice of allowing a
per centage to the collecting officers upon the amount
assessed or collected.

That this meeting pledges itself to use every legitimate
means to carry into effect the resolutions just passed, and
to support a petition to the House of Commons embody-
in., their substance ; and this meeting also requests our
borough and county members of Parliament earnestly to
support its prayer.

The hon. gentlemen present gave the solicited
promise, and the meeting separated.

A meeting of the inhabitants of HxcittiEY, con-
vened by the churchwardens, was held at the parish
house on Tuesday morning, at ten o'clock, the senior
churchwarden, Mr. W. Turner, in the chair. A letter
from Mr. C. S. Butler, M.P., was read, expressing his
opinion that the income tax ought immediately to be
reduced to 7d., and, as soon as possible, totally
abolished. The first resolution, moved by Mr.
G. Offor, seconded by Mr. J. Macintosh, was :

That the present charge of 10d. in the pound is felt to
be peculiarly oppressive by persons of limited means, who
form by far the larger class on whom the income tax is
levied ; and as at the time of passing the Acts of Parlia-
ment by which the tax was increased it was declared that
they were to continue in force fur cne year only after the
termination of the war, this meeting is of opinion that
those acts ought to he repealed at the earliest period con-
sistent with the discharge of all claims to which the
honour of the country is committed.
The second resolution, proposed by Mr. Joshua
Ramsey, and seconded by Mr. Charles Green, was:—
That experience would seem to prove that annoyance,
injustice, and fraud, are unavoidable elements of an in•
come tax. Annoyance, by its irritating, inquisitorial cha-
racter; injustice, by its charging the most certain and the
least certain incomes in the same proportion ; and fraud,
by its bringing plain truth and pecuniary advantage into
direct collision. This meeting would therefore hope that
the question of an income tax at all, as distinguished from
a fairly adjusted property tax, may shortly undergo re-
consideration by the Legislature, with the view of provic'•
ing a substitute—should any substitute be really necessary
—less burdensome and offensive in its operation.

A petition, founded on these resolutions, which were
unanimously carried, was directed to be sent to the
House of Commons, and the members for the county
and borough requested to support its prayer.

A special meeting of the Town Council of HULL
was held last week to consider the propriety of
petitioning Parliament for a reduction of the income
tar, when the following tesolution was adopted:—

That while this council fully admits the necessity there
existed during the late war with Russia for raising the
property and income tax from 7d. to Is. id. in the pound,
it considers that the war being now at an end such part of
the above•mentioued tax as was levied for the purpose of
carrying it on should be forthwith abandoned, and re-
solves that a petition from the council be presented to the
House of Commons, praying for the reduction referred to,
and also for the revision of that portion of the tax which
may be retained, with a view to a more equitable distribu•
ion of the same among the various classes of the com•
munity,

A petition to Parliament embodying this resolution
was adopted.
A meeting was held at WALSALL on the 10th inst.
to petition against the income tax. The mayor, Mr.
Thomas, presided, and Mr. Forster, M.P. for the
borough, was present. A resolution in favour of
abolishing the war 9d. having been moved and
seconded, Mr. Forster, M.P., addressed the meeting,
and, alluding to the rumoured intention of the
Government to take advantage of the delay in
signing the ratification of peace, he said though he
( Mr. Forster) could not answer for the intentions of
the Ministry, he could assure the meeting that an