The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-31 00:00:00

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THE I.NCOME-TAX, •
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There can be no doubt that the imposition n•.ee 7..._......„.:..L, -.2... :,....
,
itecomeetax, taken in conjunction with the repeal 0. Yer:adv fc. t 4 j.r~
41113-;cOT-13-laws, -his tended effectually to disarm sfai7 t —4 "am
lion-and appease-- popular discontent throughout the
length and breadth of the land. It has now became
impossible to affitin before any audience of ordinary
intelligence that the wealthier classes of this country
are protected in the enjoyment of any artificial in-
come, or exempted from fair contribution to the neces-
sities of the State. We have peaceably effected a
greater equalization of burdens than was ever accom-
plished even in a paroxysm of revolutionary violence
by any continental kingdom. It cannot, indeed, be
asserted that direct taxation is as generally agreeable
as free trade in bread. The income-tax has many '
and serioue.annoyences in its train; but there' is no
denying that it•hae been the chief irstru.ment 0f our
financial successes. If the time should come when
we can dispense ;with any such agency, so much the
btttec; bat so nlany taxes,- in our opinion, s.bouid
take preee4Eliceof this in a Altnister':: cond,:oration,
that it will be a far wiser proceeding to ng elate the
impost itself than to put up with the it-justice of
it., present operation on. the epeculatien of its near
removal.
The history and position of the question are some-
what singular. Sir Robert -Peel, introduced the tax
las a temporary measure—as an expedient cf the mo-
ment rather than an approved conclusion of financial ‘
wisdost. Ile was encountered with ziume solid objeo-
tions,and seine disingenuous pretexts. It was quite
true that the tax was " inquisitorial," and therefore
not only '
onpresstve, but offensive to bout. It was
also true that it anticipated iu some sense the re -
sources traditionally reserved for the exigencies of
war, and savoured, therefore, rather of confessed
helplessness than subtle statesmanship. Any man
can lay his hand upon a reserve fund. But, on the
other; side, it was fairly to be argued that the exi-
gencies of war had surprised us in time of peace.
War could do no worse than create a deficit, and
a deficit we had got already ; while, as to the
disagreeable character of the tax, that was in
some degree compensated by the productive nature
of its returns and the small cost of its
,;collection. The plain truth, however, was,
that the " interests" so effectively represented
in the Imperial Legislature were naturally averse to
the transfer of any taxation from labour to property,
and gladly closed with a proviso which not only ex-
tended the taxable area, but clogged the measure
with such odium as promised to ensure its eventual
destruction. The advocates of these opinions were
well satisfied to see labour and toil made as respon-
sible as land or money, and they have since consistently
opposed any attempts to render the tax more just or
endurable. The adjustment of the income-tax by an
acknowledged standard of equity would be attended
in their eyes with a twofold disadvantage—it would
visit property with its full amount of obligation, and
it would make the liability more likely to be perpe-
tual. They stubbornly resist, therefore, all proposals
of equalization, declaring such arrangements to be
impracticable ; and when encountered by the retort
that in this case the tax must be abolished, they con-
tentedly accept an alternative which they would not
have ventured to propose. These proceedings should .
be vigilantly observed.
We assuredly entertain no sentiments of affection
for the income-tax in itself, but the experience of the
last ten years has proved to demonstration that this
. _
intermixture of direct taxation with systems which
had reached their utmost
.limit of productiveness has
been attended with the 'hbaeppie.st results to the finances
of the country. It may quite t true as certain poli-
ticians allege with such eagerness,that the original
measure was expressly proposed as temporary in its
operation, did n
though Sir Robert Peelnevertheless
avow his desire of " founding a juster pertinciple of
taxation ;" but, whatever in this respect
been the original conceptions of the Ministmerayorhathe
ve
House, it is perfectly clear that the tax has now ac-
quired a character entirely different, and that it
must enter into the budget of every Chancellor,
whether Liberal or Conservative, for some years to
come. Under these circumstances it is sheer delusion
to listen to those who magnify the difficulties of re-
form, and who confidently assure us, for purposes of
their own, that we must either have the tax as it is,
or no tax at all.

AS to the true difference between the two posses-
sabinle--comtheal
we
o
'apprehend that the assertion m question would be
sirids preroppercsretyntealld
as
ventiired only by a person enjoying the former class
issue'on the spot, by, requesting him to commute his
that oufndispretincaglinoiusisl
of means, and we should like to bring the case to an
3001._a year rental or dividends for a salary of the
like amount procurable by his daily labour. If he
closed with the proposal we would give up the con-
test at once; but, if he preferred to retain his origi-
nal fortune, we could suggest with some effect that a
preferential possess raightfkiy be credited with
proportionate duties. 'I
.....11•r earnest, it is really
Te.evoatero_us- to 149ech it question to argument.
'To assume that 'tiny nglishinen require to be told
that 10,0001. Console-, or 250 acres of land, is a dif-
ferent kind of property from :300/. a year coming
in over the counter, is perfectly ridiculous. Few,
indeed, are bold enough, by any kind of mystifi-
cation, to propound such a doctrine. What is
urged is simply that discrimination is impos-
l!sible,• and that the earnings of toil must needs be
confounded with the produce of capital, because it
is beYond- any financier's power to make an unex-
ceptionable graduation of the` whole scale between
them.
To Argument we must take leave to reply,
that the difficulties in question are precisely those
;which a Finance Minister is engaged to surmount ;
and if incompetence is pleaded the alternative will
,
not be submission to the evil, but recourse to rulers
of a better capacity.. If Mr. 'Disraeli cannot assess a
proportion between income and property, he will be
outstripped by a' Chancellor of the Exchequer who
can, or who will, at all, events, not dismiss the pro.
blem without sonie attempt at solution. But, as we
have repeatedly observed, we are most profoundly
convinced that the difficulty of the task has been ab-
surdly magnified by those whose interests were con-
earned in promoting the delusion. Mathematical ex-
actness may, no doubt, be unattainable, but this is
only what might be predicated of every tax under the
sun. Do poor-rates tall with infallible evenness upon
everybody ? Is the land-tax levied with unimpeach-
able fairness? Every impost has its defects, but none'
of such monstrous magnitude as are exemplified here.
For fear some annuitant should be unduly assessed, or
inevet was a more
someCreversionary interest overrated, two enormous
Icidlaernitingeaciaaprnitoaulsnotsf
divisions of taxable substance are confounded in one,
.and We are coolly told that any change would beat'
,
tended with " some injustice" by those who ate .ode''
f300r,0030.30/p.,u1r6p0,05e00910.,f ataxncla6dri; ;
By way of consolation, however, " " ra,riasom:
to reflect that a good many 4 iinP°6siiiiiiri tion be-
'of them almost; as formidable as the distinc
overcome
prodigious imposture. ...,_,__
tuwpeoe: a IpOrapeatird
.d' lemanoo, blareit. bis:wn reeentlY.
months ago it was
dow-tax, to modify
• " impossible" to abolish the
the house-tax, or to do wit
resent. Yet one after
come-tax, assessed like, t„ eP
feats have been performed ;
per cent. in-
the
these " i'lliPpssjibtbeout whoinut a 5
any apparent distress to
and, what is more, w harm to the revenue. The
the -perforniers; or
iltZ. these tremendous operations,
.0-
has shown arc _ t
op whenever a Chancellor of
: fidently to. Pho be found bold enough to gni&
the Exchequeriesta gull, and we venture very con-
has
the.,Prom.
ets the revenue will be largely the
crowns and
At pent the notorious injustice of the
gainer. f---- eats, though it may not justify, the
assessment suggests, budget, notwi:b
tax, for the returns show that
stall'of distinguishing between hat.
evasion of the- h -o'iate every principle of equity
tared by shifts which defeat the object of
are encoun .
re
the ineasu • . With just dealings on one side we
expect teleplay on the other, but at present the
may
State and the fraudulent contributor are much upon
a leti3l.
ca -.-- -
regulations wine vt .

PRETENDED REPORTERS on the PRESS.
Ina notice of 'the Builders' Benevolent Institution,
which appears in the Times yesterday, there occurs the
following paragraph:—
" Among the items of expenditure was one of 41. to •
' reporter, for insertion of paragraphs in newspapers.
We are informed that there are persons in London who
never write a line in newspapers, but who watch the
insertion of brief reports of meetings, and then wait
upon the secretaries of companies, and, under the false
pretence that they have procured their insertion, levy
black mail upon the
.public. No person who has the
least influence at a newspaper-office ever adopts efich_a.
course, and the, secretaries of companies would eeesf
ehdevirrwe:r
bi l
al.
exposed
is
fer an obligation upon the proprietors of newspePer2l:o
they would hand the very first of these go2natiTolice.
makes his appearances over to the custody of P
officer." rrgerteso
moth:
directors sad aan 7:l' esilecliemtaerdiet4sc odf cmo ume ph a.
to believe that the system of fraud
specte
d and we
more prevalent than is generally
of the unprincipled
Ice?.
should be glad to bear, that sornoef hsv.
under e power to
persons who, under the Pretenceph9, pl charitable
procure the insertion of p g
adr-sdroaer to the police, wbe et
institutions, were to be handed ,r,filgate fraud.—Morning
attempting to commit the r
Advertiser.
___.—.....-----

- --••••••""T°"---- --
INDIA AND AUSTRALIA STEAM NAVIGATION COY-
PA NY. —TLe Master in Chancery has declared a call of 4/. po
share on all those sharebolille who signed the deed to In ui
date liabilities, reported by 8.. r. Coleman, the official maalifer,
to amount to 3,4•
the coast with
Sours WALES RAILWAY.
progress for eßtepn:drsirnßyg:itlhowef.cstor—ic_t rlergarnagphemoZsthearewhoialt
west of England
IngtrOpOlii by telegraph. the west
to connect all tbaea le
The htig 31 •J. W. Henley left town Yesterday for
oahfeildthopeelfew:tohtint"::on