The National Register.
London, England, 1815-02-26 00:00:00

WPONESDAY, FRB. 22.

Petitions from vleion. places, relatire to the exto Law. were
pre.ented by the Duke of Norfolk, the F. 11.1 of flardwicke._ and
Lord Grantley ; the latter Noble Lord took the opportunity 'of ob.
‘ervina, stint be could not Eire Ili• eupport to any measure %%Inch
had a tendency to raise the price of bread.

TfIIIRSDAY. FFII (23.
The rill ilsrituting by Jury in Scotland is civil cases, was read
a 111-4
Lord Sh•lfte..bury brought up a peritinn from the. Lord Meyer srd
Ahlcinwn of London, against pny alteration in (he prc..cr,t sy.l4.t.n of
Coro Laws.—Adjourned.

FRIDAY, FEB. 24.
No Insiness of itnportance this day.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MAXDAY, FEBRUARY 20.
C. Barclay, Esq. took the oathor and his seat for Southwark.

FINANrr.

The Ca ANCFILLOR of the EXC'HEQUER moved, that the ITrt-e
should resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Howse, to rod..
si4kr of the ways and means tot the present year, And that the ;fr.
cosmos presented thiriog the present and' last session, tot:ether with
the net :A of Isis prettesit Majesty, be tifetred to the same Com-
mittee,
• [The Spea!;er having lert-the chair,]
_ _

The Right Hon. Centletnitit began by rit>gerving, that it tvoir!fl nn
this occasion be naturally eiveeted from him to state, in the first
instance, what the rrrineiparelinse was that now induced him to
come forward and submit certain propodition‘ to the Committee.
On the sth ot Ipril next the Property Tax, and about two menu'
afterwards, this other war taxeti wmild expire It was not his int.",
tion, as lie hail already announced to, parliament, to propose any
further ciintimmee ot the Proport,v Tax. refire Christmas last.
Aotiir doubt ex kilo] as to whether the tax would legally een4
in
April next ; but the pesee with America, and itc probable rat;tie,
lion by the American (:ivernine,lt, had removed every detibt of
this description. Ile was AntiAeol, however, flint the Ilmi e,
iu
abandoning that areal meastire of finance, difi not consider it-eir
all precluded from resorting to it again, whenever the necessities cf
Vie country render it expedient. (Hear, hear!) Tire ppr.
:Ii +meta of 190%! and 1806 never could have intended to fetter tit
discretion nt eiiher the Kr sent or any future Patlianient, nor did
he know ot any fli.tivietion between the Conirnonivassettililol it)tlkit
and the efolOtry •at large. The represtotativ?lold

• %. •
•

417- .1*

132

THE

tnent, bodieA were one and the same branch of the_

K+~• ~

it was not between them that aiiy contract was bindine,
whatever was done by the representative, must be Poppoxed to be
equally done by the constititelit. Tire public never could have cell-
to-acted that Parliament should enact such laws as were suited to the
ripen:curies of the country, nor court any faith be broken by the
renewal of the Property 'lax, if it should appear to be the only ad-
visable means of winding up the expellees of the war. That re-
newal, mister all the circitiostatices of our financial situation, it was
not his intention at present to recommend; but lie felt it to be his
duty, in plopositio the substitution of other measures, to call the
attention of the House to the important service %shit+ this tax had
bi en the means of rendering to the country. He had himself been
is party to its intruitiletion ; and he could assure the Committee,
that there was no elle iiiestante of his public life on which lie looked
bark with create' •-atistaction. In coniourtion with the other war'
t..xes, it Sad .1 the public credit, and filially enabled us to
assist midelistly treciing the deliverance of Europe. They
hail saved a (limit il debt of brio it and 300.0 eO,OOOl. and
au annual charge of 14,000 0001. The Property Tax alone had
trios:need li° n 00,000., nod had saved a burtheis of 180,(000,0001. of
debt, with 9,000,0001. of permanent saxes. (Hear, hear!) If he
(dd at all agree with those who, in reprobating the tax on pro-
p/11y, described it to be as odious in principle as it was arbitrary in
assessment and collection. lie certaitily should not now express
any hope that Pauli:lmila would still consider it as a reserved risi
retiree for Intuit: wars or critical emergencies. He knew it wan
common to hear it called oppressive and inquisitorial, hut lie sin-
eerily believed that the gentlemen who gratuitously discharged the
ditties of Commissioners had sliewn as much attention, justice, and
impartiality, as, making due allowances for human infirmity, could
lie reasonably expected from any body of men whatever. They
were composed of persons who undertook the office front the most
bold:ride amid patriotic motives; they were in general the Bfille gen-
tlemen who filled the commission of the peace, and maintained in
the different functions of the magistracy, the internal order and
tranquillity of the kingdom. He should never, therefore, listen to
any remarks derogatory to their character, without doing Isis best to
etrpel them. With respect to the powers conferred upon them by the
Act, if we consulted precedents we sl.ould find no resist* to consider
them as excessive. By the Act lst Anne, sect. 1. chap. 15, on the
renewal of the French war, a tax subsequent to that on land was
imposed on personal property. The tax amounted to fifty shillings
on write), twenty-five on income, four rift trades, and tour ou pro.
lessions. The assessois were empowered to kb.: penalties, and- the
commissioners to summon, enquire, and examine upon oath. By
the law as it then stood, every trailer was obliged to deliver in an
account of his stock in trade. The present tax ou property made
personal enquirks, and whatever might be its inconveniences and
'leen:o, as applied to income digit ed from trade, he considered it
as it affected land, to approach to perfection. A clause had been
ii.erted in 1803, for the purpose of rkmeilying, in some degree, this
evil, by referring cases to private arbitration, but it was aniise-
gneutly lie was anxious to state his view of the import;
.115(t• .111(1 advantages of this measure, in the event of eircumstances•
caitcr rendering it necessary to call it onec more into intim).
is loolotibledly was strictly a war tax; and though it stood pledged
ti,! several yews at the peace of Amiens, and although by cutting
off so productive a suttee of revenue at a 'time when the war ex-
pondi tore still remained to be wound up. the loan for theservice of
I!.r year must necessarily be large, be still thought that the great
of prices insist render it, if linker continued. tar more
vexatious in its operation, and unequal in its pressure. than at any•
periotl.• The farmer, in particular, must be exposed to a
eilaroe considerably higher than any estimate of his real profits
justify, as it had beet' the practice hitherto to calculate his
I.:come on a general principle of .asitessuient. It had been proposed
in him, and probably similar atio.westions had presented themselves
to many who now heard him, to, continue the tax on property under
d'iferent modifications. One of these plans proposed to exempt the
e;.!..s of farmers altogether, and apply the tax only to property of a
mixed description. obvious objection to this was, that in every
loan act, a clause was introduced. exempting the stock of the con-
tractors front the tax; and whenever the principle of exemption
should be admitted, the stock-holder, as a public creditor, would
have the best title, viz. the faith of parliament to plead in his behalf.
Another plan was to augment the tax considerably on the great pro;
prietors, and reduce it as it affected persons of limited and narrow
incomes. A very little attention, however, would shew the imprac-
tiesbility of such a project. The act at present gave no insight into
the real property of any body : the tax was levied without reference
to the name or business of the proprietor. To illustrate his meaning,

~ • M.

Fro. -2

person who was a [molter in London nigh
, and a munnfiletiirer at Lancaster, and ilia'
. -
lie should have a large landed estate and 100,000 in the Nods (a laugh
This individual would wily pay upon his separate estates, nor wool
it be possible for any man eveti to guess at' the gross aggregate
his property. He was, ho,wever, lie admitted, decidedly of opinici
that the taxeould not consistently with the views with which
was originally instituted, be retained for more than another year,
or for any other purpose than the final setnement of the war ex.
peoditme ; and lie therefore thought it more advisable to lay
aside at once, than to impair the principle by any new modifications,
Iu laying before the committee the amount of supplies wanted foi
the service of the year, it was impossible for liim,to state any precise
sum, until intelligence of the ratification of the treaty of peace U.
America should enable him to ascertain the period within whirl
our fleets and armies could be recalled. The view, therefor,
which lie was about to take of the financial situation of the ennui's
would be less adapted to a peace establishment, than to a state tit'
gradation from a war to a peace establishment. It would certain!
be necessary to borrow to a large amount, but this amount inns;
de Ircnd on the time within which it would be possible to limit ti;
war expenditure. The 'cessation of the property tax must, of cour,e
render a considerable augmentation of the loan necessary. Lookiu
forward beyond the person year, it might be desirable to
for a moment in a more extended view of our situation. Upou tio
%%hole lie considered the prospect as very satisfactory. LI was not
his intention to compare our situation with that at any former period
of peculiar difficulty and embarrassment; such, for example, as Olaf
at the close of the American war, when public credit seemed to be
giving way, but should contrast if with a period when out revenue
were iii the must flourishing state. He alluded to the year 179;
shortly before the breaking out of the revolutionary war. It ap.
peared by the report of a committee of finance at that time, the
the produce of the different taxes composing the consolidated fund
was, 13,47t,600/. and the charges upon it amounted to 11,321,000!
leaving a surplus of '4161,0001 to this was to be added the produce
of the land and malt taxes, t,57,5,0001. constituting a disposable fund
of 4,7'26,0001. On the sth olJannary last our income amounted to
38.156,0001. to which was to be added another suns of upwards of
1,000,0001. making together a gross revenue of .10,962„,0001. The
principal charge upon this was the interest of the funded debt at
33,420,0001. which, with the imperial loan, nade a total (4'35,773,000t,
and, with tho addition of the other charges, amounted to 37,544,0001.
leaving a permanent surplus of 5,418 0004 If to this were to be
added the annual Wires, ulbititsited fir the land and malt, a sum
total of 6,418.000/. would be found applicable to the support of the
establishments of the country. a•much greater $lllll than that wi
which we hum' the war. We had at that time besides a sinking
fund of 1,300.000 t. only ; we had now one of more than 11,0.00,0001.
The debt, indeed, was much larger, but our means of meeting it liar'
increased in a fourfold proportion (hear, hear.) Considr ruble exei
fiousrliowever, were Still necessary. The house must be aware 61
apt requisite extention of our military establishment, from tlo
necessity of preserving our coloniel settlements, for Malta, Ceylon,
find especially for Canada. All this being taken into consideration,
it would be room!, that the peace military establishment would not
be far short of what it was at the Commencement of time war. When
also it was recollected, that our navy bad been engaged in al
autumn War for twenty years. it roast be seen at once, that very
extensive repairs were necessary. The house therefore, won,'
.Probably hear without surprise, that the expellee of the peace
establishment would be eighteen or nineteen millions, including the
Irish establislunent. He sincerely hoped, that at iio distant period
some reduction might be possible ; bolt at present he nest assnmr
that amount as the sum demanded, which, subducting • two runt,'
for Ireland would leave 17 millions for Great Britain. To met'
this demand, there were in the first place about 6f millions of per
manent annual taxes : he should promise a coatinuance of the ni
taxes. the customs, and excise, for a limited time, which vi mei
produce a thriller sum of six millions, and lie should lay before th,
house a plan for new taxes to the amount of 5 'millions, making .
the whole 17 millions and a half. lint the house would reveller
that the charges of the loan must be defrayed out of these taxes
and indeed, even if the expenditure could be reduced to 15 millions,
still there must be a necessity for new taxes, unless the sinking him'
were to be resorted to, an expedient particularly to he avoido
It would be found on examination, that after every war there was
winding up of great amount, and of Considerable• duration. Tln
expenses of the American war were not cleared even in 1786,
and atter the peace of 1763, arrears of the war were still !unpaid it
1775. He would therefore readily confess, that the present wal
expenses could not be wound up within a shorter period than foul

lllow

..:., ,
AT 0 f', '.O ,-•r.„,, , . ,i 1 ~
NIONAL RUGISTER..
. .
unsnumwealth : ; he sliobrd 'sirppose that a
Mint', because ! be a merchant at Bristol,