The Express.
London, England, 1860-03-13 00:00:00

dir my own part I would neither be astonished sat
complain if the house was disposed to increase the penal
remission which it makes on their behalf now or at some
future elms. It Is impossible to deny that it is • grievous
tax as it, affects penises of small incomes, sad especially of
small fixed incomes. (Hear, bear.) I have heard it said
that I hen given a fall amount of all the phases of the in-
Goose tax. I have described them, sad my opinion remains
now very mice what it was before upon that subject. (Hear,
bear.) I think the vices of the income tax are many, great,
and manifold ; but I said that why you retain it, in my opi-
nion, was because it was essential to wet in going there
great benefits to the people which alone made it endurable,
and canoed it to be endured. (Hear, hear.) It bas many
vices, but it has one great virtue, which is this—that in the
main, without say injustice in ita general scope, without any
of those idle dreams of Vander and confiscation which we
have heard to-night, it does make the property of the country
subservient to the uses of the state wi.hin limits which are
safe and for purposes which are beneficial. (Cheers.) The
pwition of the government then with respect to the paper
duties is this : We think it pert of oar public duty,
part of the pledge we gave to the country which hi,
given such • general and warm support to our financial
measures,that we should redeem the pledge which we gave a
month ago—via,that under the existiog circumstances of the
present year, we should ask for such a repeal of indirect
taxation as should not exceed two millions of money. We
desire the house to exercise an impartial judgment on the
question—what is the best moos of applying that earn ; but
for all the reasons I have seated, we submit that the wisest
and most prudent choice we c,uid make was to
determine to repeal the paper duty, sad to give
freedom toe great branch of industry, which we have great
reason to hope will develop itself in • thousand directions,
and add to the demand for labour, and through the demaad
for labour to the prosperity of the country, in a degree out of
all proportion to even the considerable amount of revenue
which the dory now reprtsmte. (Cheers.)
Biz J. PAKINGTO?I, who was listened to with much fm-
hotanos, and threatened to move the adjournment of the
w if he were not listened to, deoied that there
was an understanding, as alleged in the speech of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer when introducing the budget,
on the part of the hews to the effect that when the Long
Annuities fell in the amount should be applied to the repeal
of indirect taxes. On the contrary, it was generally under-
s'ood that the money would be applied to the reduc-
tion of the income tax. (Hear, hear) The budget
was a great boon to the owners of coal sad iron; and to the
rich it gave the boon of taking off the duties on wine end
silk, but what did it do for the working clams? It main-
tained the high duties on tea sad sugar, and upon those of
small incomes it inflicted the grievous hard-
ship of doubling the income tax. He would
sok the government, again what was the mount of the
duty they were going to abandon? The grass amount last
year was nearly 1,300,0001., but there wee now • rumdur
that in the current year, to end at the close of this month,
the paper duty would yield a million and a half. He wanted
to know whether this was true, or was there an,
difference from the 1,310,0001. of last year? lt
was not • question of whether the paper duty wee or
was note good impost, but whether the &tweet the revenue
was not such that they could not afford to part withit. He
contended that it was unwise and improvident to do so, and
that the moment was most inopportune.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
right hon. baronet had asked him to explain his referees to
the amount of revenue to be lost by the repeal of the paper
duty. fished not stated the details to-night, but on the first
night, when he made his financial statement, be spoke of a
million, bananas that was precisely the cum which he found,
by the estimates of the Board of Inland ,Revenue, would be
lost by the repeal of the duty during the next financial year,
supposing that repeal to take place en the lei of July;
of mires, if the repeal were postponed, It would be
somewhat less ; but the further amount which would
tab place In the next financial year would be
210,0001. more, in addition to the 1,000,0001., making for the
next financial year, according to the estimates with which
be had been furnished, 1,230,0001. Against that, there were
three direct sets-off to be mace—one being for the wrings in
the Island Revenue establishments, a sewed for the savings
on the whole of the paper used for government p
and in the government establishments, and the thirr=
the saving by the abolition of the leopreseed stamp
and by the changes in the re gulatioos, the amount of which
would be altogether, he supposed, 100,000/. or 160,00 W. a
year. He knew nothing whatever of the rumour which the
right hon. gentleman had mentioned about the million and •
half.

The house then divided:
For the second reading
Against it 192-53
The County Prisons (Ireland) BUI was reads second time.
Etr G. C. LEWIS obtained Ism to king in • bill to
amend the sots relating to the eoiseisatieal commission and
the act oormerning the management of vpisoopal and capitular
estates in England.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER obtained
leave to bring in • bill to regulate that limmising of tarok.
mint homes and the granting of wine hoensee.
The house adjourned at live minutes to two o'clock.