The Sun.
London, England, 1827-01-17 00:00:00

IMPORTANT IF' YitACT="mmitii.k.

Extracts from a LETTER to the Right Honourable the Earl of
LIVERPOOL, clearly and distinctly chewing that the burdens
of the country may be lightened fifty-two millions annually ;
and neither landholder, placeholder, nor fundholder be injured,
but that all classes of the community, from the peer to the
peasant, will be essentially benefited ; by a MEMBER or Inc
MERCHANT COMPANY OF EDINBURGH..—JOIIII Anderson, Jun.
Edinburgh; and Simpkin and Marshall, London, 1827,
MY Loan,
I am totally at a loss how to introduce myself, or my hureeble
ideas, to the notice of your Lordship ; but having been, in my
early life, engaged in agricultural pursuits, afterwards in mercan-
tile concerns, both in this northern metropolis and in London, and
latterly been a collector of taxes in Scotland for thirteen years;
aud, having been long impressed with the notion, that a change
in the Financial System of the country might be attended with
beneficial effects—and my thirteen years' public life convincing
me, by the increasing difficulty, of the ultimate impossibility of
collecting that portion of the revenue—l have for some time di-
rected my attention to the subject : and, after much labour and
intense application, I flatter myself I have been eneceasful in dis-
covering the foundation of a system, which, if acted on, would re-
lieve the whole community of the burdens which have ea long I
and so grievously oppressed them—and that, too, without eventudy
sacrificing the interests of any one portion of it.
The principle upon which the following suggestions are founded,
is that of placing the country upon the footing on which it was in
the year 1790, before the expensive war in which we have since
been engaged, had, by increasing our national debt to so alarming
a degree, brought us into a situation from which I have no hesi-
tation in asserting we can only hope to escape, by a step at once
bald, decisive, and prompt. To accomplish this, with equal
justice to all parties in the state, each party must submit to an
equal sacrifice. It will be seen, however, that, by adopting
these suggestions, all will suffer equally, if suffering it can be
called;—consequently the sacrifice will be felt by none.
The changes which I would humbly submit to your Lord-
ship, consist of four propositions, each of which would affect
separate classes in society particularly, and the whole commu-
nity generally ; consequently the interest of those directly affected
will have to be separately attended to in the sequel. The first
proposition would be hailed with universal satisfaction ; the
second may be opposed by a class of the community whose in-
terests may be affected ; the third may be opposed by another in-
terested class, but by none who oppose the second ; the fourth
proposition may be opposed by another party interested, but by
none whose interest it is to oppose any of the former ones. Bat if
the plan, as a whole, appears to your Lordship to be for the
general good of the empire, all the opponents must Pee it in such
a light as will induce them most cheerfnlly to submit to such
privations or sacrifices as they will be called upon to make ;
and, I have no doubt, that a change, founded on principles similar
to those I have the honour of submitting, might be carried into
effect at the meeting of the Parliament about to he assembled.
Ist. Then I propose a total repeal of the Assessed Taxes. I
am aware this will be a nominal loss to the revenue of four mil-
lions, but, at the came time, a relief to the country of more than
live millions. When taken, however, in connection with the
whole system, it will be found to be merely nominal, as the
amount will be made op in a way as ample, and far more satis-
factory. As this proposal is so simple as to require no elucidae
Erna and will be so popular as to meet with no opposition, t shall
nut trouble your Lordship upon it any further, than merely to say,
that if the whole taxes cannot be repealed at once, the House and
Window Duty could be repealed the first year, and the duty or
the establishment the second. It being always kept iu view', that,
as the major part of the money raised by direct taxes, will reach
the Exchequer in the way of indirect taxes, little will be lost to
the Revenue; and the tax on the establishment could be levied at
no expense by the Excise.
2dly, I propose a reduction of the pay or emolument of every
individual whatever receiving money from the Government, whe-
ther in name of salary, wages, pay, half-pay, pensions, or annuity',
or in any manner of way whatever, at a certain rate to be deter-
mined on ; and, at present, for the sake of going on with any plan,
I would propose one and a quarter per cent. on those receiving
tender 100/. per annum, and two and a half on all receiving above
100/. ; and this to go on progressively for ten years, conformably
to the following scale :
Those not exceeding say HXY. Those exceeding 1001., say 1000/.
Per Cent. Per Cent.
I- in 1827, on 100/. £1 5 21 in 1827 £2s 0
2. 1828 . 210 5 1828
3
1529 315 7} 1629
—lB3O
5 0 10 1830 ..- lOO 0
-61 . 1831
7i 1832 7lO lb 1832 _ 150 0
8' 1833 Bl5 17i 1833
10 1831 lO 0 20 1834
111 1835
124 1835
So that those receiving 100/. in 1826, would receive in the
year 1836, 87/. 10s. ; and those receiving 1000/. per annum
in 1826, would receive in 1836, 7501. That no alteration
should be made on those scales for the ten years, and no ap-
peel be received from any quarter against it; but, after the
lapse of ten years, the operation of the whole plan might be in-
vestigated, and any person finding himself aggrieved, allowed
to petition the Treasury, or either of the Houses of Parlia-
ment, to have the above reduction stopped, and even to get an
increase ; but in all eases where the salary, pay, pension, or
annuity, has trebled or doubled since the year 1790, the scale
of reduction shall not stop at the end of ten years, but shall go
on till -the increased salary, pay, or pension, shall come dovrei
to the same sum that was paid at or previous to that year. I
doubt not but some will say, that part of their pay or property
hasc
at.
of Parliament.beentikefrc,n
Aithetimo,ngwh some may
hiehwasguoabrjetaenteetsio to them by
h
reduction ; when I lock around me and observe our beloved Kinog
for one mo-
remitting thousand on thousand
Itvo_ethnelsstacervtiiimieggirenhatittanmtsinoifotelries
manufacturing districts; and, h
of state, and nobility of the land, follow the Royal example ; and
inindeYdsetlaf,rs, or generous
of whole regiments subscribing
those again, followed by every class pri-
vatesundaer,tihn_tyles,:imicte)ds,osthiwt3n,aoltifoevttihlaieteectaisheemidistress
ts
to think
iljtiigiti,eeks
tetonbuianitint
any
yr;
;.—tnheelroecfbaoyTifir,orntoovbahllielgo-Imv
soldiers, would object to this reduction, far less that the more en- -
lightened ministers of state, or judges of the land, would raise
feelings of those classes of the commonwealth, and that it is found
andtakes
thati t
their voice against it. Should
in:lollicagoine:eirdmneimrsatit
nikotennes,
that they would still object, I ask, what real right they have to
eecniayteoudr
cLuorrrendslciyip,
thattathb_e
estab-
lishments sei'iemryenl
tastrogweaeprserosuipnod raisedr t iaonnidno immensefiriootillsrtehqyile
tc: ame tpel, al
i inn? a depreciated
that, by adopting the proposed suggeetions, the currency will be
restored
nsteaete o;
f andetnk gaa
that,that
edepreciationm
e engagements
tl wtre
;e
consequently,aonnd
their incomes, though reduced in amount, will go as far as for-
merly,—there cnn be no ground of complaint whatever, particu-
larly as they will be henefitted by the other proposals. In short,
when the price of corn and government duties are assimilated to
those of 1790, no individual, public or private, has a right to ex-
pect that his pay or salary shall go farther than at that period.
This proposal, if adopted, will save an immense sum to the
state the first year—double the amount the second year—and, in
the tenth year, as far as I have been able to calculate, 8,000,000/. ;
Taxes—
which the poor cannot pay—which oppress and irritate the
being double the mitt produce of the whole Assessed
middling classca—and which those who are able, pay with dis-
setisfaction ; after having enjoyed a period of twelve years of
peace ; and, consequently, having expected, long ere this, a relief
from so heavy a burden.
it will be noticed, on the whole,
3d, This brings me to the third proposal. Having, in the first
fbef„mramdeillions to his Majesty's subjects ;
proposition, shewri that a loss of four millions will be sustained
Majesty's servants ‘.
'inhitshis third proposition,
by a repeal of the Assessed Taxes, and iu the second, that a saving
othfaetigthhteremiislliaorgrsawinilol
but
othnely
as I millions a ffec
intended,t
to relieve this class as rapidly as their salaries hare been cut down
by the second. Every one must admit, that the subject now to
be treated of, is delicate, difficult, and intricate,_l mean the
Corn Laws,—on which so much has been said, both in and out of
Parliament, that it is unnecessary for almost any human being to
c;lintlgteroefforteheproecigehedt,
attempt saying any thing that has not been Paid already. With-
out further preface, therefore, I would humbly propose the imme-
diate and permanent opening of the ports, for the admission of all
kinds of grain, on the following scale of duty, for the next ten
years, viz.

DUTY PER QUARTER.
Wheat. Oats. All other kinds of Oran',
s. d. s. d. s. d.
1827 17 6 7 6 10 0
1828 16 6 7 0 9 6
1829 15 6 6 6 9 0
1830 14 6 6 0 9 6
1831 13 6 .5 6 s 0
1832 12 6 5 0 7 6
1833 11 6 4 6 7 0
1834 10 6 4 0 6 6
1835 9 6 3 6 6 0
1836 S 6 3 0 5 6
1837 7 6 2 6 5 0
The ports to be permanently °par, and the last duty peimanently fixed.
In the present state of the country, it wonld htve been forte-

Year.