The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-30 00:00:00

Total ovulated 'solo( from £55,480,049 to £49,430,000

That those reductionism practicable and equitable,
I am prepared to prove; but the details of the va-
rious items of reduction, especially in the four last
sums in the above statements, would extend to far
too great a length for me to enumerate them further
than to say-1. That I propose not only to
abolish the whole expenditure of the Woods and
Forests, but to sell or lease the whole of the lands
occupied by those forests, and to transform them
into the uses of man for which Providence designed
those uncultivated soils ; 2. To reducing the
expenditure of the army, by withdrawing nearly the
whole of our troops from the colonies, amercing to I,
the plan which has been most judiciously begun by
Earl Grey, and to reduce the army, which constitutes
a police degrading to the military force in Ireland ;
3. That if the Irish people will not, like the people
of England and Scotland, preserve the peace and save
the lives and property of each, they, and not the tax-
payers
of Great Britain, must defray the enormous
sum of 663,6071. per annum for the pay, clothes, arms,
and horses of 12,758 armed constables and 333
horses. Of this expense 523.7711. is charged on the
Consolidated Fund, and only 39,9261. on the counties
and towns of Ireland. My opinion is, the Irish are
in every respect fully able to take care of themselves,
if you do them justice in removing other grievances.
4. In the next place, I pray the Admiralty not to
go into an epileptic fit; and I beseech all her Ma-
jesty's subjects not to be alarmed by anyone who
would frighten them by the cry that England will
never again sing " Britannia rules the waves;" for I
am sure that she will long ride proudly over all the
ooeans of the world, and I have no idea of rendering
the British navy has effective than it is now in the
first year of the laic half of the nineteenth century.
But I do, notwithstanding, propose what will before
long be as effectually done asthe repeal of the Corn and
Navigation Laws; that is to say, no less than the utter
abolition of three naval dockyards—to Nell the lands,
buildings, and docks, which they occupy—to apply
the proceeds to the sinking fund, and to save all the
annual expenditure and blundering naval consunc-
tion and waste of those establishments.

Woolwich, Portsmouth, and Devooport, are
amply commodious, as national docks, for any neces-
sary construction, repairs, and refitting, of ships of
war : and I believe it will be foucd that a far more
formidable navy, and at much less expense, may be
maintained by having all ships of war, both steam
and sailing vessels, built by contract, with sufficient
guarantees for efficiency. Let Sheerness be main-
tained merely for refitting, and let there be infused
a practice of economy and intelligence in all that
may hereafter be administered, under the Admiralty,
and then the sum of five millions per annum will be
sufficient to maintain the British navy in a far more
formidable condition than it is at present, with an
expenditure of nearly maven =Ukiah% stattia.S.
As for the Ordnance, there has always beet great
waste in buying a far too great supply of stores,
many of which have become obsolete by new inven-
tions, made while thorn stores of arms and other
articles have remained useless in the arsenals. Con-
sidering the greater cheapness and rapidity of manu-
facturing every article required by the Ordnance,
the sum which I have set down ought to be amply
sufficient.

Belle Ting it, therefore, practical to reduce the
tomcat gioss expeadi.ure from 53,480,783 L • to
49,180,0001., the seihm effected would be 6,300,7631.
—say, in round Lumbers, six millions under the
present system of taxation, and it cught to increase.

There is now a surplus of more than will compensate
for the repeal of the window tax. Let us suppose
that repeal accomplished. There remains of the
assessed taxes (exclusive of unredeemed land tax)
rather more than one and a half million. All these
inquisitorial taxes ought, for good reasons, to be
abolished. The taxes on carriages and homes are
injudicious, as all limit employment.
We have cow to meddle with the excise. The duty
on bricks, which yielded nearly half a million, we re-
pealed last session. The hop duty, which produces
206,0004, ought to be repealed. Paper pays 810,0001.
—a large sum. If we can cover our expenditure
without it, the duty should be immediately removed
out of the list of taxes. The railway duty is a most
indefensible tax—unlike toile, for no part of it is ap-
plied to mending railways. It produces about 236,0001.
to Great Britain—none in Ireland. Now, we have
from licenses about one million one hundred thousand
pounds. The soap duty yields about the same amount.
Malt about five millions, and home-made spirits also
about five millions. .In all, about fifteen millions are
yielded by the excise duties.
The stamps yield a gross revenue of about
seven millions; of which the tax on knowledge—
that is on newspapers and advertisements—amounts
to rather more Qin 404AQ001. This is esetainly al
barbarous tax. Fire assurance yields rather more
than a million in Great Britain, and about 50,0001.
in Ireland. Marine assurance produces about
158,0001. in Great Britain, and little more than
1,0001. in Ireland. The stamp. on both fire and
marine assurances are premiums on imprudence, and
ought to be repealed. I cannot enter further into
detail as to stamps, but the whole scale, including
probate and legacy duty, requires an equitable re-
vision.

Now we come to the property and income tax.
My conviction is, that the property tax neither can
nor should be abandoned. lint I am now—as I have
always been, and u I stated in my letter to you two
years ago on financial reform—of opinion that it
should be, de facto, • property tax, and none else;
and to this tax It must come, as in all justice it can
be proved to be the only equitable mode of imposing
this tax.

I therefore consider-1. That, in justice, all tenant
farmers should be relieved from the tax on their
farms, or that valued on rents, which they pay under
the present law ; 2. That iccomes derived from
trades, manufactures, or professions should also be
relieved from the tax levied under the present law;
and, 3. That so much per centum upon a moderately
graduated scale, according to the ability of the per-
sons taxed, should be levied on incomes derived from
all real properties, and on all investments yielding
certain annual iucomss, not like those of the farmer,
trader, manufacturer, and professional man, on the
casualties of seasons, markets, ill or good health,
short or long life. I would, therefore, moderately
graduate the scale according to the ability to pay.
Mr. Macgregor then gives the following scale, ac-
cording to which he would propose the graduation
should take place:
Under 501., one per cent.
601.10 1001., 1 per cent., and 1 per Gent. additional on all
above 6W.

--I061:1O 1501., le per cent., and a per neat. additional on ill
above 1001.

1601. to 2001„ 2 per cent, and a per cent. addiooal on all
above 1601.

2001. to 2201., 24 per cent., and 1 per cent. additional on
all above 2001.

2201. to 2501., 2* per cent., and e per cent. additional on
all above 2251.

2601. to 2751., 3 per cent., and 1 per cant. additional on all
Ibo!! 2.501.

2761. to 3001., 31 par cent., and 1 per cent. additional on
all above 2751.

3001. to 3501., 31 per cent., and 1 per cent, additional on
all above 3001.

3601. to 4001,3 f per cent., and I per cent. additional on
all above 3501.

4001 to 5001., 3i per cent., and I, per cent. additional on all
above 4001

5001. to 7001., 4 per cent., and per cant. additional on
all above 6001.

7001 to 1,0001., 4h per ant., and 6 per Gent additional on
all above 7001.

1,0001. to 1,50 W , 41 per cent., and 6 per cent. additional
on all above 1,0001.
1,5001. to 1,76 W., 41 per coil., and 1 per cent. additional
on ell above 1,6001.
1,7601. to 2,0001, 41 per cent., and 1 per cent, additional
on all above 1,7501.
2,0001. to 2,5001., 41 per cent., and 1 per cent, additional
on all above 2,0001.

2,5001. to 3,0001, 41 per cent., and b par cent. additional
on all above 2,5001.

3,0001. and upward', IS per cent, and 1-10 par neat. addi-
tional oa the amount el the tax.
He concludes the letter as follows:
Now, taking it for granted that the gross expendi-
ture may, as I firmly believe, be kept down as low as
49,180,0001., how is the revenue to be provided? I
would submit the following po forma scheme for
levying the necessary revenue, vin.:

1. Customs ditties on the following articles:
(a) Tobaoto, say £4,000,000
(0) Sogaz and molasses at equalised
ditties 4,500,000
(e) Tea at ls. per lb.
(d) Coffee and chocolate at duties
equalised
(e) Distilled spirits (foreign and
colonial)
(f) Fruits of all kinds (preserved or

otherwise)
600,000
(g) Spleen of all kinds
(a) Wanes, duties adjusted for re-
venue 2,000,000
(i) Silk manniactures, and all other
articles of luxury at an ad
valorem duty of 10 per cent.,
excluding ►ll articles of food
and raw material, u timber,dta 750,000

Total estimate from Customs £18,600,000
2. Excise:
(a) Distilled spirits £5,000,000
(►) Malt to be reduced 25 per cent ,
and gradually reduced as the n•
on other articles Mermen,
or flashy as annuities fall in 4,260,000
(c) Licenses with adjustmeat 1,260,000
10,600,000

Total estimated produce of Customs and
Excise
3. Stamps re-arranged on a more equitable dia
tribution of probate and legacy duties, and
imcludiag duties on An and twine
and advertisements sad newspapers
4. Post of pus revenues 2,300,000
6. Unredesmad land tax 1,200,000
. . .

6. Crown lands (bat this annual ought to yield
lamb mere)
Total ordinary revenue
Tax oa all rail invested property, aseinailating
in tae oak of rating so stated above
Total to meet estimate £49,180,000
Looking to all the circumstances of probable legis-
lation in the present parliament, Ido not expect any
early revision approaching to the foregoing, in the
taxation and expenditure of the country; bat I be-
have the prevailing and growing opinions of the
whole people to be fez more favourable to such finan-
cial relorm than the public sentiment was in favour
of repealing the corn and navigation laws, when I
gave my testimony in favour of the free trade mea-
sures carried oat by Sir Robert Peel, and against the
navigation laws repealed by the present government.
I have, gentlemen, the honour to be, your faithful
servant and representative, L MACGREGOR.
1, Prince's-terrace, Hyde Park,
London, Jan. 28, 1831.

THE Fll.l AT New Corse BTATION.—The fire
partially described in this journal yesterday is bunting at
half past one of that sawnisig, was exdagnished by three
o'clock. Daring the day as investigatios took play into the
origin and extent Atha oceursece with the following result.
Tl.O shed'. which so malt property was esastuned was 100
feet long and 30 feet wide, and with the exception of its sap.
ports, was entirely formed of this weed. Adjoinirg this
range stood another shed la which wood for lighting the
wise' fires of the Statics well stored. la this latter SM./-
tura ate firs is believed to have takes place. Mr. Braidwood's
report gives the amount of dump thus : The loeg carriage
shed. twothirda destroyed; thirty three earriaga consumed;
three scenes greatly dsinaged ; asvital other earliest'
thjered;uld about thirty feet of engine shod destroyed. The
property was insured• in the Monarch Fire.offico, and the
damage is stated by the secretary of the onsepany to be within
5,0001.