The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-26 00:00:00

will be found especially the case when money matters
are at stake. Do as Sir Robert will with his surplus
revenue, he is sure to give offence. It is impossible
that he can repeal or modify all the taxes which he
is asked to extinguish or reduce. A surplus of not
less than 10,000,0001. would be required for this.
What then is he to do ? Why, to disregard all cla-
mourers and all clamouring, and repeal or modify
those taxes which will afford the greatest amount of
relief to the greatest number of an over-taxed people.
Until we have learned the amount of the surplus re-
venue which will be at the disposal of the Minister,
we will not be in a condition to express any opinion
as to which of the taxes he ought to abolish or re-
duce. But if he adopt the principle which we have
laid down as that on which to base his financial
schemes fur the coming fiscal year, he can hardly be
at a loss as to how he ought to proceed. There is
one point which we would press on the consideration
of the Premier in connexion with his contemplated
financial operations. It is this, that he ought to let
the country have the benefit, to the utmost
prudent limit, of the available surplus which will
be in his hands in April next. Our meaning,
we presume, is sufficiently clear. It ought to
be so. What we wish to be understood as saying,
is, that Sir Robert Peel, instead of carrying over
to the following year any surplus, as a sort of re-
serve fund for possible contingencies—should apply
every farthing in his exchequer, over and above the
estimated expenditure, to the reduction or repeal of
such imposts as press most severely on those who are
least able to bear the burthen of taxation. With the
improved state of trade and commerce, the Minister
will not only be justified in doing this, but will incur
the blame of sacrificing the present, and perhaps
future interests of the country, if he fail to adopt our
advice. With a declining revenue, a Minister may
t s warranted in proceeding cautiously in his financial
s. heroes. It is not only natural, but right and proper
ti at he should be careful lest his expenditure should
exceed his income. But when, as is happily the case
at present, the revenue has been steadily rising for a
c'nsiderable period, and there is every probability
that it will continue, at least for some time, to
increase, the matter assumes a different aspect.
Not only, indeed, in such a case, is the Minister
bound to reduce taxation to the full amount of his
calculated income over his estimated expenditure,
but the public have a right to expect that he should
even stretch a point, and give a people who have
been so long suffering from an unusual pressure of
taxation, a little more relief than the exact financial
conclusions at which he may arrive would suggest.
He would be doing nothing that would subject him
to the charge of imprudence or incautiousness, were
he to give the public the benefit of a reduction of
taxes to the amount of 1,500,000/. over and above
what may be the estimated surplus in the ensuing
financial year. Sir Robert Peel needs no ghost to
tell him, that this would be one of the most popular
measures which he has yet devised. Instead of
weakening, it would tend to strengthen and establish
his Government ; for relief from fiscal burthens is one
of those arguments in favour of a Government which
never fail to carry conviction to the mind.