Star.
London, England, 1802-03-18 00:00:00

FINANCE OF IRELAND.

Mr. Collor moved the Order of the Day fur the
Houfe to refolve itfelf into a Committee on the
Milt Duty Bill.
The Houfe having refolved itfelf into a Com-
mittee,
Mr. Roasow faid, he found there was an Aft
fimilar to the prefent, paired in the month of March
laft year, and that, in the month of July, an At
was paired repealing a part of the former Aft • he
wiilied, therefore, to know, whether the prefent
Bill referred to the Aft paired in July?
Mr. CORRY faid, that certain Duties had been
enafted by feveral Acts of the Parliament of Ire-
land, which were continued by an Aft of the laft
Seffion. Some of there Duties-had been either al-
tered or repealed by other Afts. The objeet of
the prefent Bill was, to continue thofe Duties for
a year fubjeft to the operation of all the Acts re-
I lative to thofe Duties which had been previoully
paired, and which would (land precifely in the
fame fituation in which they then did.
Mr. Rossou (aid, the °Ned of the Aft paired
1 in July, was to add a fifth to all the penfions in
1 Ireland, by taking off the Duty which was before
paid upon them. The prefent Bill would confirm
that aft, if it was the opinion of the Houfe that
the aft iliould be confirmed ; he ihould fay nothing
more upon the fubjeft, but he thought the Houle
ought to be aware, that fuch would be the effefl '
of the prefent Bill, and he confidered this an op-
portumty to dircufs the object of the aft for repeal-
ing the Duty which he had alluded to.
Mr. CORRY faid, the Hon. Gentleman was per-
feftly right when he (laced that the aft p.iflld in
July would be confirmed by the prefent Bill, and
that the Duty repealed by that aft would Rill (land
rep:.tled. The tax alluded to, was a Duty of 4s.
in the pound, impofed upon all perfons who were
abloit from Ireland, by an Aft of the Parliament
of Ireland. After the Union had taken place, when
all dillinaion between the two countries was done
away, it was held to be abfurd that a man lhould
be taxed for living in one part of the United King-
dom in preference to another. In confequence of
this, it was propofed to the Houfe, in the hill Sef-
lion, to repeal the tax, the amount of which was
then Rated, and appeared to be, only fo,oool. a
Year. The Houle thought it confitient with pro
priety to repeal the tax, and it would Rill remain
repealed under the prefent Bill.
Mr. ROBSON faid, he could not conceive why
the aft for the repeal of the tax was not propofed

at the time the taxes for the pear were brought for.
ward. The at mull, he raid, have palled without
any debate, as he had never heard a word of it.
His reafon for mentioning it now to the Houfe,
was that they might know what they were doing,
as the tax being once taken off, he fuppofed, they
fhould otherwife have heard no more of it, but the
repeal would have.been regularly confirmed every
year, without any notice being taken of it.
Mr. ST EEL E laid, he ought to apologize fur
troubling the Houfe ; but as it appeared to be the
objal of the Hon. Gentleman to inform the Houle,
that there was an addition of a fifth to the places
and penfions on the Irith eftablifliment, it was his
(Ned to Rate what appeared to him to be the real
nature of the cafe. The tax alluded to, was a tax
impofed upon perfons holding places and penfions
in Ireland, who were abfentees from that country,
and was in the nature of a penalty, or punifilment.
for that abfence, as the tax applied only to thofe
places and penfions which were held by perfons
reading out of Ireland. The Hon. Gentleman
had fuppoled, that the tax mull have been repealed
without any debate upon the fubjca, as he bad
heard nothing of it. It happened, however, that
there was a debate relative to the repeal of that
tax; and the probability was not only, that the
Honourable Gentleman mull have heard it, but
that he mull have taken a part in it. There was
a general feeling with refpeet to the tax, that as
the two countries had become one United Kir4-
dom, a penalty ought no longer to he intliaed upon
a fubjed refiding in this part of it, in preference
to the other, particularly when he might be called
here, and, in a manner, compelled to flay here, by
his public duty. Upon the impulfe of :his leen: et,
the meafure of the repeal of the tax was broaght
forward : the produce of the Ditty was alto flared,
I which being found fo tiding, that, together with
fcveral other circumftances, induced the greater
part of the Houle to concur in its repeal, and he
trufted the tax would tliil remain repealed.
Mr. Joe s laid, if he underffood the Bill rightly,
it went to repeal a certain Tax. The produce of
this tax was fated to be only ic,oool. a-year, and
therefore of no consequence ; but thefe films of
eceoool. and t 0,0001. a year, and father fmall fums,
might go towards the repeal of the Income Tax.
[Mr. Junes was proceeding to make obfervations
relative to the Income Tax, but there being a loud
cry of "Order, Order," he fat down ]
Mr. RossoN laid, be underltood, that the
Penflon Lift of Ireland was paid out of the Civil
Lill, and that the latter was paid out of the Con-
folidated Fund. If this was the cafe, it appeared
to him, that 15$. out of every 17s. of this Ad•
dition to the Penfions of Ireland, mutt come out
of the pockets of this country.
Mr. CORRY laid, that the Hon. Gentleman had
made a bold and alarming charge, and had ref.
ted the decilion of the quellion upon the truth of
this faa-, viz. that the taking off tilde dutieswould
render it neceffary to take fo much more out of the
joint-fund of the two countries. Now, if the Hon.
Gentleman fhould turn out to be radically and
completely wrong—if he fhould turn nut to be
completely deceived in the raft upon which he
had founded his alfertion —if it fhould appear that
Great Britain was in no way whatever concerned
in the bulinefs—and if no objeCtion had been made
to this nieafure or the part of Ireland, by whom
this expellee was to be defrayed, he was Pure the
Hon. Gentleman would not perfitl in his atfertion.
How did the fad thud ? The Penfion of both
countries formed a part of their joint contribution;
the deduCtions from the Irjilt Pennons are made in
the Exchequer of Ireland, and vo into that Ex-
chequer, which is ditlinet from that of Great,
Britain, confequently every (haling taken from the
Penfion Lift of Ireland, was a part of its Ways
and Means, and was totally unconneCted and dif.
tin& from that of England. The firm would be
to be made good by Ireland, and the people of
Great Britain would not be affeeecl by it one way
or the other. The Houle would therefore fee, if
he had made himfelf underftood, that there was
not the flighteft foundation for the Right Hon.
Gentleman's alrertion.

After a fi:w words from Mr. Radon, the Bill
paired through the Committee, and the Houfe hay.
ink refunted, the Report was ordered to he re-
ceived to-morrow.