The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-22 00:00:00

THE TORY INCOME TAX.

[OPINIONS OF THE COUNTRY PRESS.]
(From the Dublin Evening Post.)
The discontent in general, and remonstrances the
'inost vehement, are uttered in all directions against
the proposal of a tax on income, which is denounced
as most inquisitorial and obnoxious, and the adoption,
in time of peace—at least of peace in Europe of an
impost, never heretofore resorted to unless in war.
but it is not the income tax alone which forms the
ground of public dissatisfaction. The new tariff is a
most prolific source of discontent, and there appears
to be scarcely a single trade or interest that does not
complain."

(From the Leeds Times.)
" An income tax is a tax of a most searching and
unpitying nature : it falls with unequal weight on
the classes the least able to bear it : it is exceedingly
odious in its operation, from being so inquisitorial ;
and it will afford too many opportunities to the un-
principled, for escaping the operation of the tax.
How is it possible correctly to ascertain the incomes
of men in business ? In times such as the present,
how many are there in large business who scarcely
know whether they are losing or gaining ? And
who is to ascertain the amount of people's income, in
order to tax it ? Are we to have agrand inquisition
set on foot by Income Tax Commissioners, who are
to have the right of fetching up every man in the
country from his counting-house, his shop, or his
barn, and of overhauling his ledger and his • day-
book; prying into his profits, his debts, and his assets,
and of wringing from him, by slow torture, secrets
which motives of honour, of delicacy, or convenience,
impel him to conceal within his own bosom ? And,
even though correctly ascertained at one time, the
estimate of a man's income, who was extensively en-
gaged in trade, might prove quite fallacious at another."
(From the Berwick Advertiser.)
" The person whose income depends upon a thou-
sand accidents is taxed to the same amount as he who
derives his from a source as little liable to variation
as is consistent with the ordinary course of human
affairs. This, however, is only one of innumerable
Instances in which the tax would operate unjustly.
Fair as it may at first sight appear, an income tax can
never be equally levied. It is, therefore, of necessity.
a continued systematic violation of justice."

(From the Hereford Times.)
" If Sir Robert Peel be not successful as a State
Physician, assuredly he has earned the character of
State Conjuror. But will the nation be satisfied with
his legerdemain ? What does he propose to accom-
plish ? The agriculture, the trade and commerce—
certainly the two last—are in a state of the most
urgent distress; and as the master means of relief,
Sir Robert Peel taxes the profits (?) of the farmer,
merchant, and tradesman, sevenpence in the
.pound !
Verily, this is conjuration on a national scale indeed !
Let, however, this fact be constantly kept in view—
that Lord John Russell and the Whigs offered to re-
lieve the national distress without adding a feather's
weight of new taxes to the burden already heavily
pressing the back of John Bull ; whereas, Sir Robert
reel and the Tories have determined to add four mil-
lions of pounds to that huge and hardly-borne burden !
Let not this broad distinction and difference be for-
gotten by either the farmer or tradesman, when next
autumn he pays the first half-year of Peel's income tax."
_ _

• • (Prom the Deroaport Telegraph.)
" The income tax, if imposed in its present form,
will operate with much injustice. The sources of in-
come are as various as the amounts of incomes them-
,.elves, and the nature of the source from whence an
income is derived ought to be considered in reference
to the tax it is to bear. Two men may be in the re-
ceipt of the same amount of yearly revenue, and yet
stand in very different positions as to actual wealth.
Is it just to tax that immense class of professional
' men, whose means are almost entirely derived from
exertion of body and mind, which depend upon a
thousand causes that can scarcely be defined ; popular
favour, personal skill, the influence of connexions,
and all those prestiges created by personal character
and deportment—is it just, we ask, to tax the incomes
of this class to the same amount, and in the same
manner, as the revenue of the lord of broad acres, or
the opulent fundholder, the classes who may 4 sit at
home at ease,' and receive their rents or { their'diVi-
dends without exertion and without care ? We can-
not think such a taxation would be equitable."
(From the Derbyshire Chronicle.)
" Every man's house is no longer to be his castle—
his private arrangements are to be public property, his
• ledgers a species of Government newspaper. lie is to
be put up like goods at an auction, at his own price,_
and knocked down if a higher bidder thinks him worth
more, It is not a new experiment, it has been tried
and failed. Even in war times it was scouted, every
one looked on it as a pest that was destroyed for ever.
Sir Robert Peel, however, arises again as chief inqui-
sitor—this indecent exposure will at least show him
how _little his Corn-laws and monopolies have left the
people ; that however flaunty their outward appear-
ances may be, there is wretchedness and destitution
beneath ; that there are private miseries which they
could silently endure so long as they were kept from
the rude public gaze, but which will become intolera-
ble when he tears aside the veil and holds them forth
to the scorn of gossips, and the ribaldry of scandal-
monger:;."

(From the Bolton Free Press.)
" The main feature in the scheme is the tax of
sevenpence per pound to be levied on income. It is
not so much a tax on property as on the skill, credit,
and labour of the middle classes. The lower classes
being unable to bear further taxation, those a little
higher in the scale must bear the pressure, in order
that those above them may still retain their immuni-
ties. An equitable land tax, recognising the increased I
value of land, would have done more than meet the
present financial exigency, but such a resort was not
to be thought of in &landlord's Parliament. Leaving
out of sight, however, this broad view of the question,
as between the easy and pampered Classes and tho
straitened and daily-sinking manufactures, the income
tax is liable to many objections, the force of which
is becoming more apparent, the more they are dis.
cussed. Its inquisitorial character forms among
nation of shopkeepers,' an insuperable objectl.on to
it. In this point of view it has been well remarked
thet it is a tax on distress,' as in the present state
of things, it will force multitudes to assess themselem
at an unduly high rate merely to save their effalt."
(From the Stafford Exandsrer.)
" With regard to the supposition that the exemption
of incomes of less than MU really releases the
poorer classes from sharing the burdens of the my
tax, it is only necessary, in pointing out Itt. Pallacy,
to refer to the fact that the emplovei a these classes
are already so overburdened that they tan only meet
the increased demand open them, by withdrawing a
corresponding portion of' the income by which their
dependents are maintained. And is it reasonable to
suppose that the incomes of manufacturers anti Hier-
candle men, already so insufficient to enable them to
pay adequate wages, can be further diminished with-
out occasioning further reductions of wages ? But
even setting aside the olliettions to the fact of im-
posing an income tax in addition to the utmost extent
of indirect taxation—inaddition to taxes upon the con-
sumption of commodities, so burdensome that the
consumption is gradually decreasing—the scheme is
insufferable, on acconnt of the iniquitous partiality of,
its apportionment."

(From the Somerset Gazette.)
" We have received a great number of letters from
correspondents in all parts of the county, urging ob-
jections to the new tax. These may be reduced to
two—its inquisitorial character, and the injustice t
taxing trades and professions equally with capita;. In
the last objection we fully sympathise with our Cor-
respondents. Sir Robert Peel's plan propos,-,s, in fact, 1
to impose the same tax upon a man was can WM. a
year by his personal exertions, and who* chtome ex-
pires with him, as on the man wh pbssesses a pro-
perty
wron in land or mor,y of 8„000t. This is manifestly
a g, to whiel the west 'vigorous opposition should
be offered."

Mora the hatl Journal.)
""We efth scarcely believe Sir bert Nel means to impose this tax—that h
it as a
ess ,disa bugbear to tighten e dßories tot
Wally
rather use
a shade the nation into something
greea lble. We doubt much that he
will succeed in carrying it if he does propose it ; and,
if he succeeds in carrying it, we doubt that he will
succeed in collecting it. Of all taxes, it is the one
that can easiest be defeated by passive resistance.
People have only simply to take no notice of their tax
papers, and a Goverment might just as hopefully and
creditably send its officers out to rob on the highway,
as send them to help themselves out of people's pro-
perty at their discretion, and without ,being able to
assign any reasons for aking five pounds any more
than five shillings."
(From the Edinburgh Chronicle.)
" This impost is the penalty which the electors are
teary
an
for their culpable supineness d the Tory
luc
lidly its ngs they manifested at the last election, and
pressure will be confined to them. The
relaxations of the tariff will be felt by all classes, but
the income tax will chiefly, if not exclusively, gall