The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-10 00:00:00

The Taxes in America.

The Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican begins
to clamour for a reduction of taxes. It declares
that the American people have astonished them-
selves and the world as much by their capacity for
taxation and their willingness in bearing it as by
any other feature of their new national life and
power in these rare years of history. The capacity
is increasing as their resources develope and their
wealth accumulates; but as the danger to their na-
tionality
grows less imminent, as it already has, and
their currency system•becomes sure and steady, and
the volume of paper diminishes, and so business
grows more regular, speculation less rampant, and
profits smaller, though more certain, their disposi-
tion to pay taxes will become, along with their in-
dividual ability, less generous. They will count the
cost more closely, and scrutinise the revenue lists,
and grow querulous towards the collectors. The
moral of this is, that the taxes—often crude, cumu-
lative, and incoherent, as was inevitable in the ne-
cessity for haste in laying them, and in popular
ignorance both of their ownresources and the science
of taxation—should be thoroughly revised, reduced
to the lowest practicable point, put on as few ar-
ticles as possible, and so contrived in assessment and
collection that the people, especially those of limited
means, shall see and feel them as little as may be.
That there may be considerable reduction in the
gross sum raised is evident from the most general
statement of American finances. The present
revenue is at least three hundred and fifty millions
a-year, perhaps four hundred. They ought not to
spend over one hundred millions in carrying on the
Government; but allow one hundred and fifty.
Interest on the debt takes another hundred. And
fifty millions a-year for the reduction of the debt,
which is generous enough for the present condition,
when the country has so much to do in recovering
from the waste of the war, and in reorganising in-
dustry and commerce for half its limits. This
leaves a surplus of fifty to one hundred millions in
income, which may be taken off the taxes. As much
even as this may be practically gained also by a
more intelligent and perfect system of taxation, and
the collection of the same, in relieving the people
of taxes, which are now inconvenient and annoying
and cumulative burdens, tending to increase prices,
and to disarrange trade, in greater degree than they
bring means to the Government. The discovery
of new objects of taxation ; of better ways of lay-
ing and collecting assessments ; where they can be
imposed or enlarged without real burden to business
or people; where those now assessed do not pay for
the trouble of collecting and the inconvenience they
cause ; of ways of reconciling internal taxation with
customs duties, so that the two shall combine to
yield the most revenue without detriment to do-
mestic production and trade—the finding out and
putting into operation information and principles
on these and kindred points is the present and
pressing duty of the Government. The war is
over ; the people are settling back into orderly and
systematic ways of business : and their rulers must
needs recognise the facts and put their affairs on
the peace footing, too, reducing and simplifying ex-

peaces, consolidating the debt and the currency,
shaving off the taxes, and, so far as possible, letting
the people alone to work out their own and the
nation's destiny.