The National Register.
London, England, 1816-02-26 00:00:00

atilt:mat it toiOttr+

Our iiing, (~'onotitution anD

MONDAY. FEBRUARY !'ZG, 1816.

merely ot:c milli m of taxcs would be ltorne. It would
allow two or more millions ti he supported by the
country, which originally could only bear 500,000/. per
annum.

We have put here an'imagintrry came ; but it will be
very e:e to VlZer.t.Y it referable to England in direct
terms ; we know nut that we can do better than to
state frmn public documents the progress of taxation ;;ntl
its burthen in England.

In the year 1796 Sir Fravis Blake petitioned the I
House of Commons to be relieved from taxes, upon
charging his landed estates with 3!i,0001. or such
other sum as might be his pmportinn of the national
debt, and to pay interest at 4p& cent. upon it. I lad
all the other proprietors of land joined in this petition
they would have been wise, and they would be right in
doing it at some future day. But far one to du it is
somewhat absurd. He stated the landed revenue to be
in the year 1600 equal to 6,000,0001. in 1688 equal to
14,000,0001., and in 1796 he calculated it at about
50,000,000/. although the Minister Lad estimated it at
9.5,000,0001. which is a much nearer calculation, as we
believe the territorial revenue is now stated by the In-
come Tax returns at 58,000,000/. though we should
have thought it much higher. Now; supposing the
debt to have remained fixed during that time, the bur-
then would have been greatly diminshed; and knowing
the population, anti the proportionate into of pries, poll.-
tical economists have been enabled to calculate the exact
portions of the burthen upon th,e people and the increase
of the population. Thus we take an abstract from a
work of much learning on this important subject*:—
" To determine the effect of the decrement of the value of
money aiiil the inerea.r of iiiiiiiihilion on Ilie lowiheit of tii‘es,
at iiII times, the rdlite of money is first to be ta1,..0 as livid. In-
_ether with the quantity of coin tittles eons ttttt eil by the in-
dividual on all average in any c try. This is the yearly ex-
pense ot the people per head: which, multiplied by Ihr number
of people, gives the total expense. Leta tax of two billiiingi
in the pound be laid mt that gross snot. Suppose the popula-
tion live millions, that it is of,. :.var.l.4 Increased to seven mil-
!MOs and a half. the con•inaption of each individual, and the
total sow eiilleeted remaining the sane : the Charge on each in-
divirlual. %thief' was before ime•tentli of his income, will be
reilneed in the prepori ion of ti re tasevetvaind a half. or ten in
fifteen, the ilieitiotie lAeconalia one fifiet-illk. or Is.-.*+.—in -Qui
pound oule. If the population had become ten Holum's, the
charge and gushers Would each have been reiltiecil to half it.
liriiier amount, or to one twentieth, that it, to tt stalling iu the
pound."
This is upon the suppositiun of 11.0 Inn-then being
fixed ; but the itinerant of taxes could not remain always
fixed ; for taxes are either levied by a fixed rat" on elan-
modities, as 101. per pipe on wine ; or at a per emit-
ego er rni,al rent upon land or colontialities :woo-ding
nt their value ; and this will mitive a considerable differ-
enee in our fature consideration of the effect of a tax.
If it is calculated at 101. a pipe on wine for instance., the
tax is increused only by the greater consumption of wine,
foul it is greatly diminished by the increase of the price
of wine. For instance, it' a pipe cost 601. and paw 101.
duty, there is one-sixth of the value ; but it' it rise in
price to 1201. it is only one-twelfth; and here We ice the
ti. in, e• tiler advanta of raising taxes by a fixed rate, imtead
of a rate according to the value el land or commislities.
In the one rare, the tas is every day growing lighter ;
in tae other, it is every day increasin:n By taxing ern-
, matlities in tale * so'r, lest! ,r, iron, lead, hemp,
ii hors,
'r.os on into• I:ft ralltll.l W.:;: , the price imediately
riser ; and by ewer', oil other lit
m
iees ritrino, and the value
' of monev fiallial;. the we .4' taxes rheeornetroatly
diminish-ed. But gi.,... an dial'orew duty, mail there is
a i escape from the but :—...,r, by a xa
,✓odden fall in
the prim, which also rist; u:1 amennt of the t: ,
anl errs:Aims a ne-v i.,,„,g,riii on.
4'
. 1 • .• '
tail and in arithreetimol cal-
r
ettintiorta, wpm principles • bib cannot ra-r, the true
source of the in,..ans by %Alti-li we lave b--en enabler? to
support a coostart. incro. •,...- or birthens. t:1 of late, when
Trices begtm to f... 11; or 1 rt blive a elite not only to the
increasing burthea of :al 4' 116 Ify a rrand rate, such as
the income-tax, but we rtety see that it entieirateit all
the rat - pins of the p• *Fie, end throws them into the
hands ot t`.ta Ge.o•ramen i revocably. Experience has
shown. that the .amine-ta... hy increase of prices, rises
ever, rear. anti the.. ;• ra).a...1 the people incapable of
making any new exert . is the time of danger.
We m.o. cone-lade, the'-;Le, that it is very •ecll adapted
to a coat.. ofilespotism and t''4itary gavernment, where a
great and continually incrensinx standing army is to be
' kept; but not to a free state, wlich hopes to hot e some re-
laxation in puce. In a worl, it is a grievance limn which

• sec of nee Sei..nee of levy, by Jot ■ Prirec'Smit •,
p.