The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-20 00:00:00

Total .. ... 181,322,202 4,989,800
SCOTLAND.
9,284,383

Schedule A ... ...
Produce of tax ;

in Scot-
land on all the schedules ... 394,324
9,284,3831. at 7d. in the pound, should produce
270,7941., leaving for the remaining four schedules
123,5301,=394,3241., which sum, collected at the
same rate as those four schedules produced in
England, indicates an income of 4,680,9591., show-
ing the total income of Scotland to be 13,965,342/.,
and of Great Britain 195,287,5441., exclusive of
incomes under 150/.
Ia 1801, the assessments for England, in-
cluding incomes above 150/. amounted to £74,676,894
If The income from assessments un-
der 150 L per annum, and not
under 601. amounted to

... 18,105,240

Difference being incomes above 1501.
per annum ... 56,571,654
Now, if 56,571,654/. : 18,105,240/. :: 195,287,544/. :
62,499,8311., and if the income is under 1504 and
above 601., from all the schedules be, in 1845, in the
same proportion to those above 1501. as in 1801 (and
there is no reason that they should not), then the
total income of Great Britain, in 1845, should amount
to 257,787,3751. We consider that of this amount
200,000,0001. may be estimated as the rents and
profits of all realised property,: viz., the rents and
profits of all lands, tenements, houses, constructions,
funds, stocks, and shares : including factories, ware-
houses, docks, shipyards, railways, canals, public
funds, Bank of England stock, East India and South
Sea stock, and the stock and shares of all companies
whose stocks and shares are bought and sold in the
market.

PRO FORMA FINANCIAL SCHEME.
Having analysed the present system of taxation,
we would propose the following simplification of the
taxes upon the more sound principles which we con-
sider practicable.
Pro Forma View of equalising the Annual Revenue
and Expenditure, presuming that the Excise and
Assessed Taxes, and the Stamps on Marine and
Fire Assurances, and also the Duties of Customs
(except on eight articles) should be abolished, and
adding Distilled Spirits and Malt, now under the
Excise, to the Customs, and Excise Licenses to the
Stamps : abolishing all other of the Assessed
Taxes, and the whole Excise Establishment.
First. Assuming the total annual expen-
diture not to exceed £50,000,000
Revenue, necessary to meet this expen-
diture, to be raised as follows:—
I. From uniform duties on (1) Tea; (2)
Sugar and Molasses; (3) Coffee and
Cocoa; (4) Tobacco; (5) Distilled
Spirits ; (6) Wines ; (7) Dried
Fruits; (8) Spices £21,500,000
11. Rome Distilled
Spirits £5,000,0001
Malt, whether 1 31,500,000
made at home 5,000, 000 10,000,000
or imported
from abroad
[II. Stamps, leaving out Marine and Fire
Insurances, and including Licenses
now under the Excise 7,500,000
[V. Unredeemed land-tax
Deficit to be provided for during
the first year

9,800,000

£50,000,000
This deficit to be levied, not by doubling, or rather
more than doubling, the present income-tax, but by
the less inquisitorial and more direct and equitable
plan of an annual assessment, in the pound, upon the
annual value of all realised property. And surely
11,000,0001., including the unredeemed land-tax, out
of 50,000,0001. of total taxation, forms but a small
proportion of the total sum to be levied directly. But
if we may form an estimate, founded on the expe-
rience of the past, the ordinary sources of revenue
would annually increase; and the amount of direct
taxation would be proportionably diminished, at least
so long as peace shall continue. Finally, the direct
taxation necessary would, we believe, not embrace
more than the unredeemed land-tax and a house-tax,
equal to the present window and other assessed taxes
proposed to be abolished.
We could also show that the customs, including
the security and collection of the duties on malt and
spirits, now under the excise, might be conducted at
less expense than at present; and that, at all events,
an amount of expense equal to that of the whole pre-
sent excise establishment might be saved to the
country. _

We Could also equitably modify the stamp duties,
so as to produce a much greater revenue. The inte-
rest on Exchequer-bills might also be saved, as in
Prussia, by the Exchequer-bill Office isuing paper,
not bearing interest, but being at all times a legal
tender, as much so as Bank of England notes are
now.

In our pro forma view of fiscal reform we have
stated the deficit to be provided for during the first
year at 9,800,000/., or nearly five per cent. on the
annual rents and profits of all realised property. As
we object to the present assessed taxes, and especially
to the window-tax, which ought to have been re-
pealed simultaneously with ilhe excise upon glass, we
do not see how we can diminish the amount of our
proposed property-tax ; except,
1. By substituting an additional tax on houses, in
lieu of the window-tax. But this substitution,
though very far less objectionable than the window-
tax, would, if we are to have a property-tax at all,
be, however, a tax on houses greater than on other
property.
2. By continuing other, though objectionable,
duties. Timber is a raw material which, next to the
essential food of man, ought to be admitted free from
duty. But if the wisdom of Parliament will continue
the timber duties, why not adjust these duties upon
pure fiscal principles ? The duties on foreign and
colonial timber have yielded a revenue of 1,691,3291.
In 1844, by reducing the duties on colonial timber
to ls. per load, which scarcely pays the expense of
collection, the revenue from timber of all kinds, in-
cluding deals, amounted to less than 1,000,0004. If
we should persevere in continuing the timber duties,
we should modify them to about the following pro-
portions, viz., a duty of ss. per load on white pine
timber from the colonies, and of 15s. upon the more
valuable fir timber of the north of Europe ; and upon
deals, &c., in proportion. We take these two duties
o,a
tndcethd
an ee
ars de The
a aisrthtiiooc
fiscally, but not on any other principle. By these
low scales, with a proportionate higher duty on deals
as a semi-manufactured article, we might levy one
million annually of revenue from timber. Exclusive
of revenue from corn, the duty on i
n o
butecr,
realise,
n
e
yielding any revenue, and that are not to be abo-
lished, are from copper ore, about 65000/, from
tallow, about 175,000/. Neither of they duties for
d
revenueef
ri
bfo rrmoe d
we
ett
ihe
mes s ego
nh st
ch
sooaruvnl
andbe t unrl eel
a ids-
all be abolished.
revenue, as follows, via. :
1. Save. Indtuerteiesst,
a ofnurtEhearchseuqraueorfib. .
duo
2. Realise. From timber
....... """""•
500,000
From equalisation of **
L'u; * 1,000,000
.... 1,000,000

C 2,500,000
This modification of our fixed scheme would re-
duce the property-tax from 9,800,000/, to somewhat
under 7,000,0004 sr to scarcely three-and-a•half
per cent. on all realised proporty without distinction.

Mdlle. Carlotta Grisi was yesterday cited before
the Civil Tribunal of the Seine by M. Benelli, a theatri-
cal agent, mho demanded from her the sum of 1,250 f.
for his commission, forhaving negotiated an engagement
for her at a theatre at Rome, whereby she realised
241,000 f. by twenty-five nights' performances in the
month of January last. In support of his demand, his
advocate produced letters written by the director of the
theatre and Mdlle. Grisi ; but her advocate contended
that the plaintiff had nothing to do with her engage-
ment, and said that it was not the usage of the profes-
sion for premiers sujets like her
.to employ theatrical
agents. The Tribunal, taking this view, rejected M.
Benelli's demand, and condemned him to pay the costs,