The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-23 00:00:00

COPYRIGHT BILL.

The Copyright Bill was then committed pro forma, and
ordered to be recommitted on the 16th April.

EXCHEQUER BILLS BILL.

Mr. C. BULLER wished to ask the Right Ho-
nourable Baronet what course he intended to pursue
with regard to the Exchequer Bills Lill ?
He believed there was no difficulty about the Bill ; the
discussion would be very short, and it was not fair to the
holders of Exchequer Bills to delay, from day to day, the
appointme of the Committee to inquire into their claims.
Sir R. PEEL said that he understood that the late
Solicitor-General had intended to introduce some
amendments into the Bill regarding certain legal
questions that might be likely to arise. No
unnecessary ;delay had occurred in passing the mea-
sure ; the House had sat night after night until
nearly two o'clock in the morning—(Hear, hear)—
and there had been no opportunity of discussing
those amendments to which the last Solicitor-General
attached great importance.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said his Honourable
and Learned Friend the Member for Worcester
wished to introduce certain amendments. The discussion
had been but short, and he thought the best way would
to to fix an early hour on some day for the discussion.
He wished to ask another question with respect to the
Act that had so often been referred to, the Act of 1806.
As the Right Hon. Baronet had relied on that Act for
the chief machinery for raising the income tax, and as
that Act had been repealed, it wouid be very desirable
that the House should be enabled to see what the general
machinery of that Bill was. He therefore wished to ask
the Right Hon. Baronet if be hadituy objection to print-
ing that Act in a separate form, for the use of Members
of that House ?

Sir R. PEEL said he should not have the slightest
objection to move that the Act referred to should be
printed.

EXCHEQUER BILLS.
Sir R. INGLIS asked when the Exchequer Bills Bill
would be proceeded with ?

Sir ROBERT PEEL said, with respect to the Ex-
chequer Bill inquiry, it eras a peculiar case. With
respect to the Exchequei Bills' Bill, could aot do better
than propose that the Bill should come on at five o'clock
on Monday fol fnight, in the hope that he should then
be able to proceed with other questions.
INCOME TAX.

Mr. BLEWETT then rose, and said he had at last
got an opportunity of asking the attention of the
House ; he still thought as he did on Monday last,
that the proposed Income Tax was being pressed
on with indecent haste, and that the Right Hon.
Baronet was only relying on his majority in that
House to carry a tax upon which the people had no
opportunity of expressing their opinion. He really
thought the Right Hon. Baronet was proceeding cgainst
the principles and constitution of the House. He un-
derstocd that the object of a Committee of Ways and
Means was to raise money for the purpose of supply ;
but the object of the income tax was to raise money for
taxes which the Right Hon, Baronet was going to take off.
Being of the opinion that the measure was pressed for-
ward with indecent haste, he would move that the Order
of the Day on Public Works be read.—(oh, oh.)
The SPEAKER said the Orders of the Day should
he taken in regular succession. The question was, that
he should leave the Chair, and it would not be in accord-
an-;e with usage to take another Order of the Day into
consideration.

Mr. BLEW ITT then would beg to move that the
tariff be et nsitlered before they proceeded with the in-
come Wt.—Laughter.)
The SPEAKER said that would not be a regular
course.

Mr. BLEWITT.—May he beg to know why it was not
usual.—(Continued Laughter.)
The SPEAKER explained.
The question that the Speaker do leave the Chair was
then put, and agreed to amid considerable laughter.
The House then went into a Committee of Ways and
Means, Mr. GREENE in the Chair.
INCOME TAX,
The Resolutions of the Vointnittee hftVing been read,
Lord IL GROSVENOR said he felt how ill-qualified
he was to engage the attention of the House on the all-
important question which now en. aged its attention. He
would not have ventured to intrude on the House at all,
did he not feel that he entertained opinions on the sub-
ject different from those of all the speakers who preceded
him, and it was on that occount that he solicited the in-
dulgence of the House while he endeavoured briefly
to state the course he meant to pursue. The case of the
Right Hon. Baronet was, he believed, that in consequence
of the deficiency in the revenue, as compared wit!,
the expenditure, and the absolute necessity that existed
of devising some means to raise the revenue to the
amount required for exigenties of the State. That on
account of the disturbed. condition of our Indian posses-
sions, and also of our relations with China,
and besides by reason of the alteration which
her Majesty's Government contemplated making
in the commerciol tariff ; and, ttihmoVer: iti conse-
quence of its not appearing practicable to rais.
any considerable amount of revenue from lowering
the taxes on articles of consumption—that for all those
reasons, recourse must be heti tii direct taxa-
tion, and of all. other hliicics of taxation none
seemed so likely to operate successfully as
an income tax, which it was proposed to impose at the
rate of 7d. in the pound. He was aware, that
in addition to this tax, it was intended to lay
on an additional duty on stamps and 'spirits hi Ireland •
also the export of coal to the amount of4s. per ton. With
respect to the income tax, it had been urged by Hon.
Gentlemen on that (the Opposition) side of the
House, that it was an unjust tax, an odious and
inquisitorial one, and intolerable in whatever shape
it might been imposed. It had been also said that the
Right Honourable Baronet had greatly exaggerated
the necessities of the case. In proof of this it was al-
leged that there was a long list of taxes producing
many millions annually, which might be modified so as
give the required accounts to make up the Jeficit.
Although he (Lotd Grosvenor) was aware that the
Right Hon. Baronet was at issue on most of those with
Gentlemen on that side of the House, yet there was one
point on which the Right Hon. Gentleman concurred
with his opponent, and that was, that nothing but the
greatest necessity could call for the imposition of such t:
tax as the income tax.