The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-08 00:00:00

WINDOW DUTY.

The following petition was presented by General Sir
De Lacy Evans, on Friday, Feb. 19 :
" The Petition of the Members of the Westminster
Reform Society,
_ _

"Showeth,—That your petitioners are householders
in the City of Westminster, who, for many years, used
their most strenuous exertions to obtain a Reform in
the Commons House of Parliament, expecting thereby
that, among (Aber grievances which a Reformed Parlia-
ment would redress, those of excessive and unequal taxa-
tion would have been the first they would have removed.
" Your petitioners deeply regret that, in the eighth
year of a Reformed Parliament, they should have to
pray your Honourable House to repeal a tax so griev-
ous, mischievous, and unjust, as the window tax.
" Your petitioners submit, for the consideration of
your Honourable House, that the window-tAx is unjust
from its inequality, being, in many cases, 14 per cent.
upon the property of the trader and manufacturer, and
2 per cent. upon the property of the rich ; that it is
mischievous, inasmuch as it diminishes the profit de-
rived from trade, and greatly discourages industry by
rendering the employment of capital less productive ;
that it is calculated to increase_ absenteeism, by induc-
ing those persons who possess fixed incomes to remove
to countries where commodious residences and the other
necessaries of life are obtained at less cost, and where
they arc free from so odious an impost as the win-
dow-tax. _ _ .

Your petitioners conceive that it is not among the
least of the evils produced by this ttx that, in large and
densely populated towns, the inhabitants should, from
the oppressiveness of this tax, have presented to them
inducements to deprive their dwellings of that light and
ventilation which is absolutely necessary to the health
and moral condition of the people, and the absence of
which is known to produce the most fatal contagious
diseases.

" Your petitioners are induced the more earnestly to
call the attention of your Honourable House to this
subject from the late increase of this tax so grievously
pressing upon Oa industrious and trading portion of the
community.
" Your petitioners aver that while the suffrage de-
pends upon the payment of the window tax by a given
time, the late increase will operate most materially to
limit the elective franchise; first, by disfranchising all
who arc unable to pay the larger amount of tax in time
to retain their qualification; and, secondly, by disfran-
chising those who appeal, and whose votes are lost be-
fore their appeal is heard.
" Your petitioners, therefore, pray your Honourable
House to grant a total repeal of the window-tax,
aid your petitioners will ever pray.
" Signed on behalf of the Westminster Reform
Society, "JOHN MORRIS, Cha'rmae.
" Stannard's Hotel, Charles-street, Covent-garden."
There is one point which deserves particular atten-
tion, viz., the inducement to exclude light and ventila-
tion for the purpose of evading so heavy a tax, thus
offering a premium upon pestilence, and somewhat in-
consistent with the concern lately manifested by the
Parliament for the introduction of sanatory measures.

Much that was said in defence of the Drainage Bill
by the Marquis of Normanhy, may be urged with equal
propriety against the window-tax.

NEW NOVEL BY LORD WILLIAM. LENNOX.
Just ready, in 3 vols. post Bvo.,
COMPT ON AUDLEY;
Or, HANDS NOT HEARTS.
A NOVEL.
By LORD WILLIAM LENNOX.
Richird Bentley, New Burlington-street.