The Sun.
London, England, 1816-03-14 00:00:00

PROPERtY , TAX.

TO TUE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

-Aatho Match JO, 1816,

SIR,-.4 was much pleased with the ar.doaeut
of one of your Correspondent's, who proved that.
if one-fourth part at the population oily possess-
ad each man an laconic of 401. that that part'
alone would pay the whole of the Property
Tax at 4/. per Man, and consequently the other
three-fourths must be exempt.'` 'lbw as there
are several persons in England who have.an in-
come of 100,000/. and who, therefore pay, or
ought to pay, 2,500 shares, at 41. per head—
many who possess incomes of 2,3, or 40001.,
and thousands whose incomes excLed till/. and, con-
sequently exempt one- individnal each froi» pay-
ing the Tax ; it follows that the persiths who
really pay Income Tax do not amount to one-
twelfth, I might say one-twentieth, part of the
population of Great Thitain, a number hardly
equal to the list of names petitioning against, the
Tax now lying upon the table of the Houit of
Commons. If the Ministers and their Opponents
Would each select an, equal number of towns or
districts that have petitioosul against the Tax, the
average 'would spew that liine,fourths of the pe-
titioners have nothing to do with it, and tbree-.
fonrths of the persona who really do pay Income
or Property Tax have not put their names to the
Petition ! ! I leave you to draWr your own con.
elusion from the facts.

Mr. Brougham was wrong in saying, that the
poor who do not, are eqnal sufferers with the rich
who do pay Income Tax : men iu business do not
generally employ inure men than their concerns re-
quire, and, consequently, if they diachare any
of their workmen, decrease.their
,osn profits for
the sake of being heavier taxed by the parish,
where these men must be maintained, Wily are
Mipiiters so ,forul of this Tax, but becluseit is
the most !productive.; and why is it so, bat he»
cause the rich are equally taxed with the poor.
The fact is, this is the. only TaX where
the rich are fairly taxed ; a man must hare a.
house to bee in, a bed to lie on, a hat; a roar,
and a pair of shoes to wear, and the rich do not
actually require more J. admitting the uttnost etc.
travegance, a man of a thousand a year does not
Wear twenty hats, twenty coats, &c. while I, with
little better than a hundred, are obliged to wear
two of each. To suppose that Parliament could
pledge itself to the people that this Tax should
only.cominne during the war, is to suppose that
,nu future Parliament can repeal any law este-
Wished in this ; but, the absurdity of this reason-
ing will appear, Most glaring, when it is seen that
the very persons who cry out so furiously against
: violating a solenus pledge, propose, in the sant*
.breath, a similar or worse-violation, in recoil).
tnetidkog Ministers- to broach upon the Sinking
Fund, As for the cruelty and torture of exposing&
. man's teal ci reunataoces tot he world, there is more
• sound than sense its the, observation, (admitting it
to he true) a man of real property cannot he hurt
by the exposure ; a man who trades upon fled.
oohs property, that is speculates with the money
.Of Qthvr% for. In, own advantage, is not ho-
nest; and desers es to he exposed—perhaps the
major part of the bankruptcies in the kingdom is
owing,t.fi these kind of speculations, not that L
, mean to Aay that every man who fails is necessary
dishonest, bat . that one speculating rogue oilers
pulls down to ruin hundreds of very honest men,
who have placed confidence in his honour : cats
there'be han in exposing such a man I But my
letter, I Ifi!kr, is growing tuo long to be.reatt.
i, therefore, conclude myself, wars, &c.
. Moacitxrm