The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-30 00:00:00

SOME REASONS FOR ABOLISHING

THE NEWSPAPER STAMP-TAX.

(From the Spectator)

The surplus of' income over expenditure, for the year
ending in last October, was upwards of a million and a half ;
the revenue accounts for the quarter which terminated on
the sth instant, showed a considerable increase of receipts
over the corresponding quarter of last year ; and as it is
universally admitted that the state and prospects of the
country are flourishing and favourable, there is no reason to
apprehend that the surplus at the disposal of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer will be less during this year than the last ;
especially as scarcely any thing was done in the session of
1835 towards reducing the taxation of the country, the
operation of which should be anticipated on the current
year's income.

From this it would appear, that the necessity of upholding
public credit is not likely to stand in the way of a diminu-
tion of taxes ; so that Mr. Spring Rice's excuse for oppos-
ing the repeal of the Newspaper Stamp-duty will not serve
again. The result has proved that last year the reduction
might have been made with perfect safety.
Independently, however, of the question of revenue,
there is a good prospect of getting r►d of the Newspaper-
tax. It is quite impossible that the abortive efforts now
making to stop the circulation of unstamped newspapers can
be continued much longer. In all other applications of
capital and skill, it is held that the regular tax-paying pro-
ducer is entitled to the protection of Government ; it is
considered grossly unjust to permit the smuggler to compete
with him in the same market. Yet this is what is done to
a great extent as respects newspapers, in spite of the efforts
of the police to suppress the illicit trade. It cannot now
be pretended that the extensive circulation of unstamped
papers is connived at by the Government. Considerable
exertion has been made to sut a stop to it, and no slight
portion of public odium has been incurred in the attempt ;
which, however, after all, has failed completely. Thus it
seems, that it is out of the power of the Executive to give
that protection to the persons concerned in Stamped News-
papers which they unquestionably ought to have.
There is but one mode of doing justice to all parties ;
abolish the tax. Nobody would be injured by it ; for even
those journalists who des►re to retain the stamp, profess their
belief that their own circulation would be increased by the
greater cheapness of their papers : in this instance, then,
there can be no claim for compensation for injury to vested
interests. We are aware that some of these gentlemen
would oppose the abolition of the duty out of a tender re
gard to the public morals ; and some from grand notions of
the dignity of journplism. But Ministers have little occa-
sion to take any notice of their fine scruples. The Timts,
the Herald, the Post, and the Standard, are all in opposi-
tion, and would not be won over to the Government side,
the Whigs being in office, by a refusal to abolish the News-
paper-tax. The lllorning Chronicle, the Courier, and the
Globe, may grumble a little ; but there is no fear of the hos-
tility of any one of the three. Most of the weekly news-
papers, and the Morning Advertiser, 7%e Sun, and the
True Sun, are, we believe, for the removal of the tax
Thus another reason, which doubtless had its weight in those
days when Lord Althorp held conferences with Lord
Brougham on the subject of " conciliating the Times, or
declaring war against ►t," can no longer be urged against a
measure which would confer extensive popularity on the
Minister who carried it.

It will be said by some, that the agriculturists have a
claim on the surplus for the remission of taxes which press
peculiarly and unfairly upon -them : but with the corn-duty
at 50s. Bd. a quarter, we think that, in common decency,
the agriculturists might be quiet on the subject of taxation.
Let them come before the public with clean hands—let
them abandon their gigantic monopoly of the bread-trade,
before they put in claims for especial consideration in the
reduction of taxes.

The advocates for the diminution of the duties on glass,
or other heavily-taxed articles of general use, have a better
case than the agriculturists ; but, when the increase in the
consumption of paper, and the produce, perhaps, of a light
postage-charge are taken into account, the loss to the revenue
arising from the abolition of the Newspaper-stamp will be
too small to interfere with the more extensive claims which
we have alluded to, even supposing (what is by no means
probable) that a very material reduction in the tax on such
articles as glass would occasion any deficit in the revenue.
Mr. Spring Rice, then, will probably consent to the abo•
lition of the Newspaper-duty ; for these reasons—

_ .
The public revenue is in a flourishing state, and the
amount of the deduction proposed is small.
The impossibility of preventing the circulation of un-

stamped Newspapers, to the grievous wrong of those
who buy stamps, is daily becoming more manifest.
The odium occasioned by the efforts to enforce the law

is too serious to be disregarded by any Government.
The popularity out of doors, and the support in the
House of Commons, which would be obtained by abo-
lishing the tax, are both exceedingly desirable at the

present time.
The parties who would most strongly object to the abo-
lition are those whose hostility to Ministers is invete-
rate, and who would not in the least mitigate their
abuse, or desist from their opposition, in consequence
of any attempt to conciliate them in this matter ; or
they are those whom Ministers know how to quiet.

The following table shows the amount of the mili-
tary pensions in France at several different periods, toge-
ther with the number of the pensioners. The cause of the
reduction, it may be remarked, is the death of the pen-
;;leners :-,-_,
e4rs: Pensioners, Amount,
1517 ...,,,.•, 168,000 ~..,,.,,.,• 69,000,000 f.
jaw) „„,..„„, 150,000
1b323 ,r,,,,... 143,000 ~,.,,.,,.•• 49,000,000
ltiti ... , ...... , 147,000 . . .
1829 ........... . 141,000 ~ „ 51,000,000
1832
....Gglignani's Messenger,