Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-28 00:00:00

THE TAX ON PAPER

The Tax on Paper : The Case Stated for an
Immediate Repeal, is the title of a pamphlet just
published under the direction of the Committee of
the Newspaper and Periodical Press Association
for obtaining the Repeal of the Paper Duty ; and
it does indeed make out a for that repeal, such
as probably was never made out before for any
single tax, involving, as it is shewn to do, such a
Variety and extent of evil inguences in its opera-
tion. No one after reading such a statement of
the case can ever think of the Tax upon Paper,
one would think, but with abhorrence. Its very
origin was abominable. Those in authority at the
time were afraid alike of the spread of intelligence
among the people, by means of the Press, and of
its animadversions on their public conduct. And
"this had to be put down, not by submitting each
case to a legal tribunal, but by some process in
which the legality of what was said should not be
brought into evidence, and by which truth and
falsehood might be put on a level." A tax was
therefore imposed, on newspapers, and on adver-
tisements, and on paper. Then, as it is shewn,
" the Paper Duty was considered merely as a link
in the chain of the taxes on knowledge." And as
a proof that the Legislature deemed it such, a
clause of one of the Acts imposing it provided that
"there be a drawback of the duty on paper used
in the two Universities in the printing of books in
the Latin, Greek, Oriental, and Northern lan-
guages,"—books of which, as the people
generally did not understand, and therefore could
not read them, they were not afraid to allow the
publication scot-free. Of course such a tax must
operate as an obstruction to the dissemination of
knowledge much more extensively now than it did
at that time of day, owing to the increase of educa-
tion among the people. So that it is really a
greater grievance now than it could possibly be

when its avowed object was to oppress, if not
utterly to crush the Press.

But to glance again,—for we have done so more
than once before, only it is important to keep
reiterating the exposure of such evils in seeking
for their removal,—to glance again at some of the
injurious effects of the Tax on Paper. It really
destroys the revenue, instead of augmenting it.
The exchequer, upon the whole, is injured rather
than benefitted by it. The price of the article
taxed—being the kind of article that it is—" is
enhanced at least two-thirds the amount of the
tax, and the power of the consumer to purchase
other taxed articles is proportionably diminished."
This is justly argued from the fact, that a large
increase of revenue has actually been effected by
the judicious repeal of direct taxes. Then it inter-
feres with the process of manufacture. Its prac-
tical operation is to impede all improvement. A
rigid rule is required to be observed, just for the
purpose of securing the full amount of duty, with-
out any regard whatever to the injury that results
from its obstructing superior processes of manufac-
ture. One manufacturer has testified, "It costs
me in labour alone to help to charge myself with
the duty on paper the sum of £lOO per annum."
As to the introduction of any new material,
however beneficial it might be, as to economy, or
in augmenting the supply, it is discouraged, not
to say prohibited, for this very sufficient reason—
that the product must pay the same duty per pound
as the higher priced paper. There is no doubt that
if the duty were abolished, new and cheaper
materials would soon be found, and the manufac-
ture of paper be thereby vastly increased and