The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-10 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY.i_EITENING, JANUARN 10, 1857.

REPEAL OF TM? INCOME TAX•

A public meeting convened by the mayor—E. N. Grace,
Esq.—in compliance with a very numerously-signed requi-
sition, was held in the Guildhall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
on Thursday last, to consider the propriety of petitioning
Parliament against the income tax. There was a large at-
tendance of merchants, shipowners, and other persons in-
terested.
Mr. M. CLAYTON having read the requisition,
Sir J. FIFE rose to propose the first resolution. In doing
so, be intimated his intention of taking each of the allegt,
tions contained in the resolution in succession, and show-
ing how trulytheydesignatedthe income tax, as at present
existing. The first charge against the tax was that it was
unjust, unfair, and oppressive. There was one single fact
in illustration of the truth of this allegation, which 'he
thought was sufficient to convince the most fastidious and
the most sceptical. It was this :—A man who by his in-
dustry, anxiety, and toil, obtained an income in some large
town or city, amounting to 1,0001. a year, paid a certain
amount of income tax; bra neighbour, who had landed pro-
perty worth 20,0001., from which he received 1,00001. a
year, paid his tax, and each of them paid exactly the same
amount. This was a fact of such outrageous injustice as
to be nearly incredible, and yet it was true that a man
:who eikry year was worth 21,0001., paid exactly the same
amount as if he had not sixpence beyond his 1,0001. With
thii fact before them he thought he was entitled to say
that the history of this country did not record an instance
of more barefaced injustice. (Applause.) Well, then, it
was stated that in the mode of its assessment it was inqui-
sitorial, so much so indeed that nlany of them' had shiamk
from going before the commissioners with an appeal against
,(A. voice—No use to go and appeal.) Not the toast,
but at present, fortunately for this town, they 110 a
surveyor who seemed to have some sense of justice in his
breast, and blessed were the inhabitants who had a sur-
veyor of income tax who possessed some of the feelings of
a gentleman, or they might be robbed'and cheated ta any
extent. (Hear.) Next it was alleged that it was calculated
to create dissatisfaction and demoralisation. This was one
off' the worst features of the case, because the tax as at
present levied actually held out a bonus of fraud and im-
position. (Cheers.) Many persons so much regarded it
as a swindle that they thought their honour not cornpro-
wised by misrepresenting the circumstances in which 'they
were placed. Sir John then pointed out how peculiarly
oppressive was the income tax to gentlemen of the medical
profession, and how inapplicable in their case was the re-
medy by appeal, inasmuch as the books of a medical man
contained secrets which he was bound in honour to keep.
(Hear.) It had always been adinii,ted that in taxation
some broad principle should be kept in view, that it should
rest npon the broadest shoulders--upon those for whose
benefit government was carried on. Now he would ask
any man in his senses if this principle did not point to a
property tax—(applause)—which was the most humane
and just of all others; while the income tax, for tbereasons
he had shown, was the most unjust, inquisitorial, and
cruel. The latter was a tax which pressed with peculiar
severity upon the industrious and enterprising classes.
M. HENRY TURNER seconded the resolution, and re-
marked that this was one of the short days of the year,
but if they should speak during the whole of one of the
longest days, it would be impossible to go through all the
iniquities and villanies by which the income tax of the
present day was levied. He spoke the sentiments of every
person who paid taxes when he said that we had been more
extensively robbed, insulted, and cheated by this system
of taxation than by any other which had been devised.
(Cheers.) The system of taxation, from beginning to end,
was one of darkness and mystery. Many of them, he had
no doubt, had appealed against the tax, and knowthe
difficulties in the way of getting justice. He could speak
to the matter with perhaps more knowledge upon some
points points than many present, having had the pleasing duty
imposed upon him of being an income tax collector—
(laughter and applause)—and had seen somewhat of the
villanies of the system. He would not allude to them in
full, for no doubt they were too well acquainted with them,
and had again and again paid the tax upon enormous sums
rather than be at the trouble and annoyance and expenses
of an appeal.

The resolution, on being put to the meeting by the Mayor,
was carried unanimously.
Mr. W. LOCKET HARLE, in proposing the next resolu-
tion, alluded to a sentence in a recent speech of Lord Pan.
more, in which that minister had characterised the pa,
tience which the people of this country had exhibited under
taxation us admirable. They had been told that the income
tax had been leavied for the purpose of carrying on a great,
and he was about to say, a successful war, but he would
not say it, for wo had paid a price for that which had not
brought adbitional glory to thee country. It brought to
their recollection errors innumerable, military and naval,
and errors of statesmanship. Every man appeared to be
in the wrong place, and we had to pay dearly to maintain
the greatness of this country. Yet, scarcely any person
complained. Every man appeared willing to pay the cost
of the war, and truly might the war minister say the pa-
tience of the people was admirable. Now, however, the
government must be told that the war being over taxation
must cease. (Cheers.) They must have observed in all parts
of the country a strong feeling abroad that this particular
tax should be altered entirely. The people could not bear
it any longer ; those who toil and spin, whose brains are
on the rack from morn to night to maintain their position
in society, could not any longer tolerate this tax. (Hear.)
Mr. Hark then entered into some explanatory statements
relative to the tax, and denounced its inquisitorial charac-
ter. Mr. Gladstone might reason over eight columns of a
newspaper to show that it was impossible to make a dis-
tinction between income tax and property tax. Did not
this proie the barrenness of statesmanship of which they
complained ? The people felt without any reasoning that
Mr. Gladstone and the parties who supported him were
palpably wrong, for it was plain and evident that there
was a marked difference between property which had
becn created and property in the course of formation.
(Hear, hear.) All ho asked for was, that the govern-
ment should not tax a man 'who was. industrious who
was toiling year by year, and day by day, a they
would tax him who was an idler, who enjoyed his ()Nun
cum dignitate, and had arrived at the happy state
when he could think no longer, except it should be
how to preserve his property from ticket-of-leave men.
(" Hear," and laughter.) Mr. Harle next alluded to the
act of Parliament limiting the duration of the tax to the
Clth of April which shall first happen after the expiration
of one year from the ratification 'of a definitive treaty of
peace, and contended that to all intents and purposes the
war ceased in the early part of last year, and that it was a
mere quibble to allege, in favour of the continuation of the
tax that the ratification of the treaty did not occur till
after April. He drew a melancholy picture of a British
House of Commons debating this one word " ratification,"
and contended that our representatives should be most
imperatively- requested to support the abolition of the tax.
He concluded by moving the second resolution.
Mr. C. JACKSON seconded the resolution, which was
carried by show of hands.
Mr.' JOHN SHIELD, jun., briefly moved the next resolu-
tion.

Mr. E. W. CIIALLONER, in seconding the motion sug-
gested that as 30 years' purchase was generally given for
landed property, 10 for that embarked in trade, while not
more than two years' purchase could be obtained for a pro-
prietor paying the major portion, the trader the medium
share, and the professional man, whose income ceased with
his existence, the minimum amount. This, he contended, li
would remove the monstrous inequality which at present
characterised the tax upon income, and if properly balanced,
could be made to produce the same amount of revenue,
and an infinitely greater amount of satisfaction to all
parties concerned. (Applause.)
C. ALLIIUSEN, Esq., in proposing the last resolution,
stated as his opinion that the tax was an absurdity, inas-
much as it proposed to do an impossible thing, namely—to
tax the income of every individual without providing the
moans to show what the income really was. (Hear, hear.)
He had had a great deal of experience in the sharp practice
which the collectors of the tax were in the habit of using.
His books had been examined, his word of honour doubted,
and himself insulted by those persons, who, however, con-
soled him with the idea that the law required them to act
in such a manner, and they, as the parties deputed to carry
the law into effect, were compelled to take the course they
pursued. Ile had asked them to point out to him the law,
and when ho had seen it he found that it favoured his own
representation of the case, for it stated that the collectors
should take his affidavit as to the amount of his income,
and if that did not satisfy them they should obtain the
bookkeeper's affidavit, and then if they disputed the
united testimony of himself and bookkeeper they should
examine the books themselves. He had thought it only
light and proper to resist the demands of the collectors,
and his case had lasted two years, but he finally got his
money back again. (Hear.) He concluded by proposing
the resolution, which was put and carried.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the
Mayor.—Xewcastle Chronicle.

MEETING IN FINSBURY.
Last evening a public meeting was held at the Royal
British Institution, Cowper-street, Finsbury-square, for
the purpose of considering the propriety of petitioning the
Legislature, and taking other measures to obtain a repeal
or modification of the income tax in its present form.
Mr. JOHN BROWN, the senior churchwarden of St.
Luke's, was called to the chair.

Mr. R. PHILLIPS moved the first resolution, condemning
the income tax as being, in its present form, unjust and
oppressive; unjust in principle, inasmuch as it levies a
percentage on trades and professions, always precarious
and uncertain, and not easily definable in amount; oppres-

.glve, inasmuch as the only.method of levying, it is by re-
quiring returns from the parties to be charged, exposing,.
consequently, 'their affairs, to 'avoid which many parties
pay.upon sums never maned. He belided that tlie income
tax pressed in its present form most ,uojustly upon all
classes of society;. even upon those who did not pay it, for
he believed it was one of the consequences' of the tax,that
15,0a/Men in this great city were now out ;of employment.
(Hear.) ' • - •
•
Mr.. STARLING seconded the resolution, and entered into.
a variety of socialand domestic statistics with a view to
show how injurious the tax was to families with incomes
ranging between 1001. and 200/oa year.
- The CHAIRMAN put the resolution to the meeting, and
it was unanimously adopted, ' .
Mr. G. KING 'proposed 'the next resolution, which was
as follows - "That the enormous amount of the present
charge as adopted by the House of Commons was a tem-
porary measure only, to continue during the war; and as
the war is over this meeting trusts that every legitimate
means will be taken to obtain an immediate reduction, as
well as a more equitable adjustment of the tax, or the re 7
peal of it on all trades and professions.", He trusted the
country would never be silent while the tax remained. He
was.far .from wishing' to sow the seeds V discord in the
country, but he could not conceal from himself the fact
that great ill-feeling would prevail if the Chancellor of the
ExChequer persisted in' retaining the tax contrary to "the
publicly expressed feeling of the country: ' • • '
MT. :BONIPACR Beconded the resolution, which was
spoken to by Mr. Pallisser, Mr. Ailed Walker, Mr.
Higharo, and other gentlemen, all of whom gave' details,
showing the unequal acid oppressivt+ nature ofithe tax.
A petition to the House of
,Coninozfi frapodying the
resolutions was agreed to, ancl,.Was entrtlsted to Mr. Thos.
Dimcombe, M.P.; for pre4-Ontrition.

' Thanks were voted to the Chairman, and the meeting

separated.

Sr. PANCEAS.-At the weekly bleating of the vestry of
St. Pancras (the Rev. Canon Dale, the vicar, in the chair),
the Rev. R. Ecketti in the absence of Mr. Brettingham,
who had given notice of the, subject, brought forward the
following resolution—" That in the opinion of this vestry
the income tax on trades and professions is alike- odious,

inquisitorial, tyrannical, and unjust; and that a com-
mittee therefore be uow formed, with powers similar to
those exercised by the committee appointed by this vestry
for the repeal of the tam on windows, namely, to prepare
petitions to the three estates of the realm, and to solicit the
aid and co-operation of every city and borough in the king-
doin for the unconditinal repeal of this iniquitous tax."
The Rev. Mr. Eekett regiettod that this motion did not ex-
tend to the property tax, not that ho thought the property
tax should be entirely repealed, but that it might be more
evitably assessed. Persons with house property for instance,
were taxed upon the gross amount instead of the net, when
perhaps they might have to pay 25 per cont.-out of the ,
rents they received before they came to their hands. The
motion was seconded; and after a slight modification of
the strong language contained in it the resolution was
carried unanimously.'

fowratshheepldurpinosethoef
oußilndihsaTlol,Lp.—riAstoll,ayrgeesteprduabylicaftmereneotoinng,
petitioning Parliament on the subject of the income tax.
The Mayor presided, and the meeting was addressed by
Mr. G. Shaw, Mr. Goss, Mr. EL Visger (town councillors),
Mr. H. J. Mills (editor of the Bristol Gazette), Mr. M.
Bowden (glass manufacturer), Mr. Herapath (magistrate),
Mr. P. F. Aiken (banker); Mr. C. Tovey (town councillor),
Mr. C. T. Dando, and Mr. W. H. Gore Langton, M.P.
Mr. Berkeley, M.P., was unable to attend., Resolutions
were adopted calling for the repal of the additional 9d. in
the pound on the sth of April next, and for the total
abolition of the tax in 1860 ; and suggesting that the duty
of collecting should be transferred to the Inland Revenue
Department. A petition embodying the resolutions was
agreed upon, and the member's for the city were 'requested_
to support its prayer. Mr. Langton, M.P., expressed his
intention, of doing the utmost in his power to carry out
the objects of the meeting. A vote of thanks to the mayor
was awarded by acclamation, and brought the proceedings
to a close.

CANTERBURY.—On Thursday evening a public meeting
of the inhabitants of Canterbury and the neighbourhood
was held in the Guildhall, under the presidency of Mr. W.
J. Cooper. when the following resolution was moved by
Mr C.' P. Cooper, Q.C., seconded by Mr. Councillor Jack-
son, and carried unanimously :—" That a Government will
ill perform its duty which, when the irttion is not engaged
in any great European war, shall continue a tax so unequal
and unjust, so plying and inquisirfal, a- yea--so liable
to evasion, so vexatious, galling, and oppressive, and alto-
tiler so obnoxious and odious as that now levied upon
income." A second resolution was also adopted, entrust-
ing the forwarding of the resolution to the Right Hon.
Lord Palmeritou to the hands of Mr. Purton Cooper, Q.C.