The Express.
London, England, 1851-02-20 00:00:00

THE BUDGET.

SIR C. WOOD'S PROPOSED HOUSE TAX:

The following letters have been addrebeed to the
Editor of the Daily News:
810.,—Aniong the eorreopondenta who have ad- I
dinned you on the subject of the dishonesty of the tax pro- 1
ponal to be sulotituted for the window tax, none have as yet
shown its ,flirt upon large old home. in localities km
fashionable, or to a certain extent deserted, and conse-
quently greatly reduced in value. I will attempt to illus-
trate this by my own ease. lam the freeholder of a house in
the city, ow, let at a rent of 701. per annum, but which
remained on my hands for three years, while 1 was vainly
endeavouring to obtain a responsible tenant at.lo/. I am
now occupying it myself, and it is rated at 50/. per annum.
It contains twenty-seven windows, and is consequently rated
at 9f. w. to the window to:. The proposed alteration will
lease on the house it perpetual rent-charge of 6f. ss. 4d. per
annum, or mon, than 121 per cent. on the rating, while on
houses hereafter to he built the rating is to be only live per
es 111. But what is still worse, while the new house, will
never pay more, under any eiretunotanees, than five per
tint., my property (if I can cull it so), however reduced in
value, will remain at a fixed charge, which may and probably
will in a few years equal 20 per cent. Its entire taxation,
parliamentary and local, at the present moment, is more
than I.n. in the pound, and 1 can no longer submit to ouch
enormous exactions. I must consequently cease to occupy
it, and if is...tilde find a tenant for it, and happy should I
be to let it (with these six guineas in the shape of mit-
charge in lieu of window tax, and 2s. in the pound land tax)
for int a year. The government, if I should ix so lucky as
to realise this rent, of which 1 confess 1 despair, would then
Less on this precarious property taxes to the amount of five
tohillinw• unit nimpence in the pound. or adding the insur-
ance tax (thirty shillings on 1,000!.) six shillings and six-
pence in the pound, nearly equal to one-third of its entire
produee.
1 have also had on hand for the last year and a half an
ack.ll,nt old fashioned house at the west-end of the town.
This house was once let at 1501. a year, and the last tenant
paid 1241/. ; but 1 should now he delighted to obtain a re-
sponsible tenant at aOL It has forty-two windows, and is
consequently rated at present for windows 1.5!. 171.8 d..
two-thirds of which will amount to 10/. lls. Bd.; which will
be the future rent-charge in lieu of window tax, being more
than 13 per rent. on 801. And these unmitigable charges
of 12. 13, and 15 per cent. arc laid on houses, excellent in
themselves, but for which in consequence of social changes
it e, difficult to find tenants; while new houses built in
compliance with the existing demand, occupied as soon as
built, and paying a regular and certain rental, are to be
taxed only in proportion to the rental, and at the uniform
rate of five per cent. I. there, let me ask, any thing like an
approach to common justice or to common honest y in such
an arrangement ? As regards the inferior clues of houses it
is mere robbery to tax them more highly than the superior •
but when the disproportion becomes so great, I lack words
to express my screw of in enormous injustice.
1 remain, Si,, your most obedient servant.
A TAX-PAYER.

SlR,—The 30,000 houses now free from window
duty, and which Sir C. Wood wishes to levy a house tax
upon, are moistly occupied by clerks, &c., with incomes of 100/.
to 130/., or thereabout., per annum, upon which they have
to keep up a respectable appearance, and perhaps a family
to support. These are the parties whom Sir C. Wood has
picked out to pair 15.000/. per annum towards relieving the
wealthy of one-third of their window-tax. Is not this •
ens' injustice Many people took these houses because
there was no window-tax to pay, and why they should be
charged a house-tax of 12s. a year now, without the slight-
est advantage to them, I must own I eannot understand.
The Chancellor certainly says that they can open u many
windows as they please the might as well have told them
they could keep a carriage), but he does not inform them
how people with 100/. or 1301. per annum an, to pay the
bricklayer, &c, for making fresh windows. I need not say
how useless it would be to ask the landlonl to do it. It
seems to me to he another trick of the old sort. The tax is to
be changed to rave the rich, and a very small bait so given
to some of the middling and poorer claws to keep them
quiet whilst a gross injustice is done to the remainder.
I am, &c., 11. O. B.
22. Orchard-street. Kentish-town, Feb.l9.

BURGLARY AND ATTEMPT TO ,NICRDER AT WIND -
soa.—Yesterdav morning, at half-past one o'clock, the
house of Mr. Tucker, the verger of St. George's Chapel,
Windsor Castle, who resides at No. 4, CLurisce-nuld, was
broken into by two men, who first ransacked the lower
room. of the house and then proceeded up-stain with
lighted candles to the sleeping apartments of Mr.
Tucker and an elderly lady, named Whittaker. Mrs.
Whittaker was awoke by the light and noise and ut-
tered an exclamation, upon which one of the ruffians
struck her on the head with an iron instrument, in-
ffieting two severe wounds, and with another blow
broke her arm, which she held up to protect herself.
Mr. Tucker, on hearing Mrs. Whittaker's screams, juin
out of bed and ran to her assistance, but was knocrel
down several times and received four severe wounds on the
head. Mrs. Whittaker's screams alarmed the villain., and
they made off before the police arrived. Mr. Tucker is
upwards of 90 years of age, and both he and Mrs. Whitta-
ker are in • most dangerous state.