The Sun.
London, England, 1822-07-03 00:00:00

SALT TAX.

Mr. CURWEN wished to know whether the Right Hon.
Gentleman opposite was determined to oppose his (Mr..C.'s)
proposal for the total repeal of the Salt Tax at the end of two
years ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he was
happy to say, that on account of the probably increasing state
of the Revenue; he thought he might safely consent to the re-
peal at the end of the time mentioned by the Honourable Mem-
ber.—(Hear, hear, hear !)
Mr: BENNET presented a petition from the Mutual In-
surance Office, praying that they might be protected from the
effect of the Stamp Duties Bill.
After a few words from the CHANCELLOR of the Ex-
CHEQUER, Mr. BE-I,INET, and Mr. CALCRAFT, the Petition
was ordered to be printed:
MALT LICENSES. •

Mr. WODEHOUSE called the attention of the House to the
duty imposed on Malt Licenses. The dealers were, under a
new regulation, compelled, in many cases, to take out sepa-
rate licenses for separate buildings. This last regulation had,
he thought, been smuggled through the House, without any
notice whatever. The persons suffering under this griev-
ance had been advised to memorial the Treasury ; but this
was, at the best, an inconvenient remedy. As for his indi-
vidual support to Ministers,_ he could not suppose that they
cared Much about it ; but he must he permitted to observe,
that that indifference towards the complaints of those suffering
under taxation of which he was now stating an instance, could
not fail to create a disgust, which, when it was too late, Minis-
ters would be very glad to remove. He moved for leave to
bring in a Bill to repeal the last additional Duty on Malt
Licenses.
Mr. W. SMITH seconded the motion.
Mr. BRIGHT said that when the Bill in question was brought
forward, he (Mr. Bright) had been given to understand that it
contained merely a trifling alteration in the old Bill. He
thought the House, ought to consider the case de novo.
Mr. LOCKHART spoke in favour of the motion. He
should next Stssion move that a Standing Order be adopted for
the printing of all Bills relative to Taxation.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,' that
when so much of the time of the House was taken up in ex-
traneous discussion, it was not a matter of surprize that many
Bills passed the House in silence. The Bill complained of was
brought in on the Ist of April, and did not receive the Royal
Assent until the middle of May ; but as it had been so much
condemned, he was perfectly willing to have the particular
clause in 1t repealed.—(Hear, hear, hear !)--He ought, how-
ever to state to the House, that the custom of making Li-
cences local as well as personal, was by no means a new prac-
tice. He found at once a case of this kind, which occurred
in 1784.
Mr. WESTERN condemned the Act imposing a tax of
41. 10s. upon each building in which a Maltster had his malt.
—lt was quite time it should be repealed, and he was glad a
motion for that purrase had been brought forward.
Mr. ROBERT bMITH said, this was an instance of the
many Bills and clauses originating. with the Treasury which
were passed through that House without the knowledge of the
parties interested. He did not mean to defend, the inattention
of one side of the House, but he complained of the great at-
tention which existed on the other side to take advantage of
that inattention.
Mr. LUSHINGTON said, that there never was an occa-
sion in which observations such as those which had just fallen
from the Hon. Member opposite, were less applicable. He
begged to retort on the Hon. Member for Bristol, that he was
the cause of this Bill passing without notice : for at his express
request, he had actually, postponed the third reading for a
month, in order that he might have an opportunity of examin-
ing it. If there was any thing improper in it, therefore, he
ought to have informed the House of it; but to his (Mr.
Lushington's) surprise, it passed in complete silence.
Mr. BRIGHT explained.
Mr. HUME spoke in favour of the repeal of the duty, as
levied under the provisions of the existing Act.
After a few words from Mr. BENNET and Mr. P. MOORE,
leave was given to bring in the Bill. -
HOUSE AND WINDOW DUTIES' REPEAL.
Mr. HOBHOUSE said, that in coming down to the House
to move the repeal of so considerable a portion of the revenue,
he should ill perform his duty to the House were he to give them
a mere dry proposition, witbout'entering
.into the question at
some length, and tracing the history and rise of the taxes he now