Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-09-29
TAXES IN ENGLAND

fish Government, one oil Wncn, III liie 1887 n m
Der, No. Al for July, is entitled Arlstocrauc az
alton, whose object is to show ina, ,ne IaIGe
Ar;s,ocracv who have always had the making
of the laws, have so laid the various taxes that
thew fall highest on the wealthy: The article
contains much curious and valuable informaEon,
showing the great injustice and oppressive
effects of graduating taxes by quantltY anu
not value.
The revenue of Great Britain may be classed
under three heads, viz,-customs ana ercise' o.
taxes levied on consumable articles foreiSn ana
domestic. the direct tares, and the stamps
The writer begins with examples from the Gus.
toms and excise; and first Tobacco. Virgin
mia ordinary, and fine, and Maryland flne vel
low nay each the same duty, viz three shllngs
per pound; while the price OF the first per pound
is three pence; so that, the man who can af1ord
TO buy MARYLAND fine yellow, pays to Govern
ment a tax at the rate of two hundred and forty
per cent; he whose means Will not a'ioW MN
to 90 beyond Virginia fine, pays at the rate oil
six hundred per cent; while inc poorest VI 'he
three, who can only buy Virginia ordinary, pays
twelve hundred per cent; and finally the epicure,
who INDUCES in fine Havana segar, pays only
one hundred and five per cent.
The next article cited is sugar. All colonial
sugars paw duty of twenty four shillings per
cwt The finest quality costs seventy one slill-
lings, and the common twenty-five, so that the
man who uses the cheapest pays to government,
in proportion to the cost OF this article which has
become a necessary, nearly three times as much
as he who uses the dearest.
The tax on soap operates with similar inc
quality, $50 that" says the Westminster, "the
Trades Unionist who washes his face with
brown SOAP, pays double the duty of the fine
lady for whom he keeps carriage out OF ms
bread" But in addition to this, the raw mate
rails Of which soap is made are taxed, and also
unequally. Truly, government must be hard
pushed which lays a tax on soap. "Itis," says
the Westminster in one Of its pungent COM
ments "a tax on cleanliness,-a bounty on nasti-
ness,-imposed by those who are pleased to
designate the peole the unwashed.'"
The excise duty on glass and the duty on
timber are graduated on the same unjust princi-
pie. The specific duty on wines from France
and Portugal is five shillings and six pence per
gallon, the operation of which is, that the man
who drinks inferior port, pays at rate OF one
hundred and sixty~fve per cent. while he who
enjoys very superior DID, pays only seventy
eight On claret the difference is still greater.
The same with spirits and with tea.
The direct taxes are regulated on the same
principle, in proofof which it is stated that the
land tax is only little more than one million
sterling, less than it occasionally amounted TO
two centuries ago. of all sources OF revenue
says the Review, the least oppressive is tax on
rent; and in Germany, France, Belgium and
Italy, it never constitutes less than Que fourth OF
the public income nor its rate in those countries
estimated at less than fifth ofthe actual rem
tai; while in England, at present, the rent-tax
being two millions and the rental fifty, the pro-
prietors of real property contribute in this form
but one twenty fifth: in early times it was much
higher. In the house tax, the principle operates
in the same way. Twelve of the finest country
palaces of the nobility are enumerated, belong.
ing to eight dukes, two marquisses, and two BIZ
shops. the combined rent Of which is assessed at
only two thousand six hundred pounds, and the
tax at three hundred and sixty eight: while, II
they paid according to the real value, the rent
OF one alone, that of the Duke of Newcastle,
would be sixteen thousand pounds. and the tax
on it two tho usand three hundred. 1t is now
assessed at only one hundred pounds rent, and
pays tax of fourteen pounds, three shllings,
and four pence.
Houses in town, it is shown, are taxed much
higher than those in the country, and farm hou-
ses are totally exempt, in order to increase
the rents of the proprietors."
The taxes that fall on luxuries are compare
lively small in amount; these are taxes on male
servants on riding horses, on race horses, on
dogs on game certificates, on armorlal bear.
ings, on hair powder, on post-horses, on gold
and silver plate, on cards and dice, and on car
riages used for luxury.
Iu stamps, the inequality exists in the same
degree and tendency. The stamp 1or lne re-
cei2t Of five pounds is three pence, and for
double the amount the same; that for the receipt
of five hundred pounds is seven and six pence,
and for one thousand the same
Several pages are devoted to the so called
Taxes on knowledge, which are, the excessive
postage on letters, newspaper stamps, adver-
tisements, almanacks, stage coaches, (being "a
cilities for communication excise on paper,
customs on foreign books, on quilts and gals,
on rags and on paper-amounting to more than
three millions sterling. The Post Office, it
seems, besides snecures, is burdened with pen
sions to the amount of upwards of thirteen thou.
sand pounds, thus described by the Review:
"Of these, in one state or another there has
been paid to the Duke Of Grafton f4700 year
since the death of his reputed ancestor, Charles
H., who died near $50 years ago. Without in
terest, therefore, this illegitmate family has re-
ceived upwards Of 100000 of the money ofthe
people, and in the existing state of the represen-
tation is likely to receive good deal more. The
heirs of the Duke of Schomberg, (who they are,
no one can tell,) Dutchman, killed, as is sup
posed, by the mistake Of his own men, also
Dutchmen, at the battle of the Boyne, 144 years
ago, receive $4,000 year from the British Post
Office. This foreign family, therefore, has on
ly pockcted f576,00 of English money, omit