The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-03-25 00:00:00

remedy for this difficulty in h

postpone the cc
proceed with the corn bill
Lord J. RIMAELL arm(

opinion o!

stage during i
The house
Mr. HAWE

use upon the
rogress throng

resqlved itself into committee

1 that there were sources of revenue

!sorted to befor
mued

come tax, v

calculated to injure the

temptingtoperjur,

Alderman TH 0 M -P97(

vernincut. but expres
consider his declarati(

supported tae proposal of the go-
hope that Sir R. Peel would re-

between various

that he would make no distinction
is of income, according to their propor-
3tice demanded that such a distinction

Sir W. CLAY said that this' income tax was the price to
be paid for monopoly—the price, in fact, to be paid for the
sliding scale. Direct taxation, however, was the resource of
barbarous times, and it was found that more enlightened
rated the principle of indirect taxation. It was ab-
.:—, to call the right hon. baronet's plan a
commercial reform, when the article of sugar was omitted to
please the West India interests, and when the article of corn
was omitted to please the landlords. The hon. gentleman
concluded by saying that he would give the measure in every
stage his most decided opposition.
Sir G. CLERK insisted upon the necessity of an income tax
as the only means of placing our revenue and expenditure
upon an equal footing. The object of the hon. gentlemen on
the opposition side appeared to be to re-introduce the budget
of last session, which the house had already repudiated. He
did not think the landed proprietors would think they had
made a very good bargain in acquiescing to the income tax
in consideration of obtaining the sliding scale. He hoped
that the chief objection to the income tax, its inquisitorial
character, would be materially removed by the modifications
which Sir R. Peel would introduce for that purpose.
Lord DALS(ENY thought the statement of Sir R. Peel was
unrivalled for clearness and precision as a financial state-
,ent. but as the rigi ' his in—

times ado
surd, he cont(

Out a
,at hon. baronet proposed his income tax
in order to sustain monopolies opposed to the spirit of the

age he should oppose it.
Mr. C. WOOD said that, obnoxious as an income tax was,
he would not hesitate to vote for it if he saw an imperative
necessity for it.

Mr. Acartr.Err said he should vote for the tax, on the
ground that it was necessary, and that the country would
support it.

Mr. P, SCROPE, after putting several questions to Sir R.
Peel, as to the way in which the tax would affect different
classes, proceeded to contend that the measure was one which
ought not to be adopted by the government of such an en-
terprising and commercial country as England.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS said he was opposed to the income tax,
but he still thought the government had proposed a bold and
manly course in avoiding a resort to the issue of exchequer
bills, or to a loan. Instead, however, of proposing this tax,
he would propose that a reduction should be made in salaries
—not only in those of ministers, but in those of parties far
above them and descending very far below them. It would
be well for the country if the government would adopt -the
excellent advice of Sir James Graham, given in a pamphlet
published by him in 1835 ; but he much feared the right hon.
baronet had outlived the opinions which he then promulgated.
Hon. gentlemen on the ministerial side advocated an income
tax on the ground that it would fall only on the rich and not
on the poor, but would they carry out that principle ? They
had not shown themselves so disinterested when they levied
a heavy tax on the transfer of personal property, allowing
real property to go free.
Sir G. GREY commented on the silence observed by hon.
members on the ministerial side of the house, but presumed
it was only part of the discipline imposed by the right hon.
baronet, who required their votes without risking having his
measures marred by their speeches. He wished to know
why those gentlemen. who were so profuse in their expres-
sions of confidence in the right hon. baronet a little while
ago, should now hold back from avowing to their constitu-
ents their approval of his measures, now that they had an
opportunity of judging of them. He feared the right hon.
baronet was calculating upon the ignorance of the present
generation of this odious and inquisitorial tax ; and in this
calculation he was right, and he would carry the tax with a
triumphant majority, but ere long in operation its odious
character would be felt, and a feeling as strong as that of
1816 would force parliament to repeal it. They were told it
was to continue but for a limited period; but this was said
with respect to the former income tax, and the result was
known, and it was easy to predict that there would be a simi-
lar reluctance to abandon this if once agreed to. He took
his stand upon the ground that there was no necessity for
imposing this the most objectionable tax that had ever been
levied in this country.

Colonel SIBTHORP said the right hon. bart. (Sir R. Peel)
was obliged to resort to extreme measures in order to correct
the enormous evils in which the late ministry had placed the