The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-29 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 29, 1848.

that amount. He had full faith that trade would levies,
bat seeing that the adverse eirennutances of the previous
year did not tell upon the revenue until the July quarter,
though the failure in the harvest had token plus in the
autumn et 1846, so he did not anticipate that the improved
careemeitances would tell favourably upon the revenue to
any material extent until towards the later quartets of the
year. Toe right hm. gent raw% then recapitulated the
various items of revenue with their estimeted produce, as
already stated by Lira J. Ituseell in brinaing forward
the budget, the sum total being 61,210,0001. Lie
did nut take into acceunt the repay meet ef advances to
Ireland—first, humus° as the repay meats of the money ad-
minced last year wore by the arrangement thee made to ex-
tend over a period of ten year., the yearly amount would be
very smell; and ate-madly, because, as lie had already stated,
ministers would be prepared to readvauce to such districts as
might require the a pay went., air the puepee of making
row's and other works, by wheat employment would be given
to the people. lie hal stated the eaimeted income and ex-
penditure without providing for any surplus of revenue over
receipts, which, however &amebic, under ordinary cireum-
strum ministers di.l not think art ceseary, under the preant
circumstances of the country, to insist upon in their
budget. In preparing the estimates, ho bad assumed that
the income tax would, in consequence of the losses
in trade, produce only 5,200,0001.—that was taking
it at its pi mient rate—and supposing that the tax
would be re-enacted at thet rate, there would he a deficiency
on the whole estimates of ab iat 3,0e0.0001. Findine each a
di ficiency, it became the duty of MilliStCTS to tee in what
way it could be met. Awl net being willing to resort to a
loan—which was objected to by all parties—(hear, hear)—
they looked back to what hod heel the financial policy of
parliament for the loot few years. In 1812, when there was
a deficiency in the revenue, the right hon. barouct (Sir 11-
Peel) proposed—partly to meet such deficiency, and partly
to enable him to reduce indirect taxes taming on the
necessaries of file, and on the raw materials of
manutacturing —the imposition of a tax upon property and
income. The right hen. baronet stated that ho proposed
thattax as a sort of commutation for indirect taxatiou, and
he proposed to exempt persons of an income below acertaia
amount trom the tax, in order that cc for poseilile It
should fall exclusively on the rich. In tullowing years the
right hon. baronet reduced the duties on many of the arta '
cies of general consumption—as corn, butter, cheese, and
subsequently the duties on timber, sugar, cotton wool, wool,
shed other art:cles which it was needless to enumerate. Li
rt, between 1842 and 1817 the country hail been bene-
fited by the remiwion of taxes to the exams of 7.400,0001.
He might betold that he (the Chencellor of the Exchequer)
capered the income tax iu 1812. (Hear, bear.) Nu
doubt he did so. (Hear, hear.) The ground upon which he
ai opposed it wee, Chet it was rot worth the price they were
called upon to pay for it t but that if the duties on corn,
timber, sugar, and other articles were altered, he should be
they. r, sly to vote fur the suientutien of direct for inaia et I
taxtvion. Those duties hail bet* so altered ; therefore the '
eireametances which, in his opinion, would justify an income
tax had occurred. (Hear.) Ile bud vote :or the renewal of
the tax in 1845 as a substitution of direct taxes for such in-
direct taxation; and on that ground be now proposed its
continuance. (Hear.) But, whatever was the else in 1812,
let the house remember what twek place in lea The in-
come tax had then been helloed during three scars. There
was no deficiency to be made up ; but, on the contrary, there
was a largo surplus. The right bon: baronet came down
and stated that there weeld be a probable sur-
plus fur the year of 5,000,0001. Ile had it, consequently,
in his power to repeal the income tax if he came,
at a risk of a deficiency of not more than 20J,000/. Bat the
right hoe, baronet, carrying nut the policy he had indicated
in 1842, proposed to contiritie the income tax for three yearn
longer, and to repeal or further reduce those tale. which
pressed on articles of general consumption, or on the raw
materials of manufacture—(hear, hear)—:and the house
unanimously concurred in that propoeitlen. (Hear, hear.)
Various integrations, it was true, were made to extend it to
Ireland ; to change the mode of its applicafion, in order to
make it more equal, but no one propelled its repeal. (Hear.)
Ile for one ,iistin tly stated his o; )i )) ion, that if the house
then (in 1813) cemented to re-enact the bill for three years,
wed the proposed alterations in the customs duties should
be carried out, it would be impossible at the end
of that ',tried to abandon it ; and in answer to
that remark the tight hon. member fur Cambridge
University a iid that was laying the ground for the future
support of the tax. (Hear.) No men could reasonably
expect then that the income tax would cease at the end of
this second three years. Such being the course of legisla-
tion on the subject, it would have been rather an extra-
ordinary course for government now to have tome fireweed
awl proposed the reversion of the derision SO unanimously
given by parliament three yearn before. If they had done
so, and suggested the re-imposition of indirect taxes which
airmerly were levied on corn, cotton, sugar, tanner, and
other articles, they might fairly have been charged with
running their heads against publics opinion, and the
expressed views of the House of Commons. Con-
eeguently they premised as their first measure the
renewal of the present income tax fur a limited time :
whether that time were five or three years would be a ques-
tion for the committee to ucterntine. But ministers pro-
posed five because they di I not think that the increasi d con-
sumption of thee articles up en which the duties Fad been
reduced would in a shover period arrive at that punt which
would enable them to dispense with the income tax. (lieu,
hear.) This would have brought up the income to
a1,ea0,0001., still leaving a considerable deficiency. The
question then was, how to meet thii deficiency ? The ex-
istence of such deficiency would, as he had before st eta,
he hut temporary. It wan obvious that such items as tee
Katlic war and naval cut m would cease with the mascot
year, as would also a considerable potion of the t epee& ore
for the works tat our dockyards, the greater portion of which
would he completed in eighteen months or two years. They
a'so lookeil to a gradual reduction of some other items, as
the charge for the new houses of parliament. liu a-,
therefore, justified in saying that the increased expeuiliture
would be but fur a time. This being the case, and seeing
that the d:ficieney in the revenue wou.d ac but temporary,
ministers thought it would he unwise to meet it by u new
tax. (Hear, he sr.) It was true they might have ptoposei
a per centage on some eater existing tax, as the assessed
taus, an experiment which they had formerly tri
when a deficient revenue had to be met, and
which had then been successful. Leader,
ever, at the produce of the am-sea tax- s for
some years back, and finding that it had during the last
four or live years teen falling off, and total not tnereforo be
depended upon for any certain they had thought it
upon the whole preferable to propose en additional per
centaee to the income tax. Ana they had done am for these
re aeons, that by sulaiest two per cent. to that tax they would
be certain of obtaining the required increase of 8,000,0001.,
and that without any additional expense for collection. And
however painful it uniloithteilly was either to propose a new
tax or to pay it—(a laugh)—he won still of opinion that the
most economical and than meet advantageous mode of pro-
viding for this teinporary d. II ienty was in th it way. (Hear.)
In the previous eilecussiens many questions had been raised
as to the mode of imposing the tax. The lion. baronet
the member fer Marylebone (Sir B. HnI1) had proposed that
it should be extended to Ireland. (Imeid cheers.) In hie
opinion, if the tax were continued beyond what was neces-
sary to meet the temporary emergency, it was a tax in which
Ireland as well as Greta Britaiu ought to share. (Hear,
hear.) But though Ireland might be able to hear such a
t ix under ordinary cireutnsta .ei a it was a question whether
while suffering team the anat.:ea-nee* of the recent famine,
and in her present state of general depression, she could do
so, and he believed it would be most alexia dint now to im-
pose it, inasmuch as it would dianunge the exertions which
the gentlemen and ferment were no making to give
emeleymeet to labour, and permanentlw y to imp rove the
condition of the country. He would ask the house
to consider the large increase which had bees mule of
late in the rates levied for the relief of the poor in Ireland
under the po law. lu 1816 the amount of peer rate col-
lected was 390,0001. ; in 1847 it was 970,000!.—(hear)
and within the last few months the increase had been ball
greater. The amount collected in the hat three mouths of
1846 was 109,000/., in the corremandine three months of
1817 it was 441,0001. ; mire titan quadruple increase.
See that return (which was on the table) government had
received an account of the January collection, which
amounted to 190,0001., while the January collection of the
' previous year was only 52,090/. The fact was, that they
were now cullectirg the pair rate iu Ireland at the rate of
2,000,0001. a year. Looking, therefore, at the circum-
stauces in which that country had been placed by
the recent ealamity, and the impertance of keeping
the collectien of the poor rate as the legitimate meal* of
providing for tee destitution of the enuntry, he thought it
would he most impolitic to impose additional burden upon
Ireland at present, (Hear.) lie doubted either whether
an income tax upan Ireland would be so productive Rs some
imagined. In Scotland the anaemia produced was so small
as to lead one almost to suppose that it was not Wily
im-
posed—that amount being only 400,0001. a year. For these
realms, therefore, it vats not propene now to extend the opera
tion of the tax to Ireland. On these grounds, it was that
ministers had prop-peed the renewal of the income tax, as et
present imposed, far a limit, d Cme, and an ircrease of two
per cent. fur two years, when they believed the m. 0.., y for
such increase would cease. He had been asked to give a
pledge that if should not ext nil beyond two year:, tut he
considered it very unw'se to bind himself by ant pr anise e t
that kind. (Laughter.) Who could say what Wight be the
thugs, of circumstances in two yearn, or even is a much
shorter peried? (Sara Haw long was it since thew heal
heart an hon. gentleman (Ur. Cobden), recently a;rivea
from France, declare •• t. at there amid be no obj-et in a
! revolution in that country ? " (Prot etionist and ministe-
rial cheers.) The 'facet and best men might be mieica anted
lor mistaken ; but not only the hon. gentleman to
I whom he alluded, but every bonourahle member of
that house most be aurprised at the events which within tiee
last few days had taken place in teat esuntry. (War, hear.)
' He had, however, given that which was Maser than *pinion
—he gave the facts which hal induced him to believe that the
necessity for the increased tax would net last beyond the two
years. Taking the increase of revenue arising from articles
of consumption and the met. rial of manufacture upon
which duties had be en reduced, and supposing that
increase to go on at the same rate for the next two
years, no one coital cutertain a reasonable doubt that
It would not be neecwary that the increase 4 tax Itheuld con-
tinue beyond that time. Such, then, were the proposals
made by the government. They were proposals calling on
the cetarry to continue for a limited time the ineeme tea,
iu the same mear.er and to the SIMS &meant they bad
paid it for nearly six years past ; and far a shorter ;serial,
and to meet a temporary emergency, they had been
coked to coasent to an increase of that tax. Now he
could not say that the proposals the goverement bad
so made had been well received. (Chem and laud
laughter.) He war bound to admit that from all quit-
ters of the house, and from all parts of the country, they bad
received the most unequivocal demenst rations of dim eproval
at that proposition of tne increase of two per cent. (C facia )
Even those hon. gentlemen who on former occasions had