The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1865-09-14
Vnnitt Taxes.
tEr0n tie !Tilpicip!tir Press. |

There is n description of taxation in England
which, IN manner, is wholly unknown here. We
arc as vain, as people, Is any upon tho face OF
the earth, but there is al Individual vanity from
which VIC are nearly free. The gentleman who
was offered pinch Of snuff. and responded, in a
diSnitcd manner, that he had no small vices, must
have had American blood II his veins. We, as a
people, have no small vanitrs though it may be
AS every one knows, aluut onc-trd of the
whole British revenue is obtained by taxation
levied through the custom house. That third
amounts Ill each year. to alnut S73, 600, and IL
realized from n few principal IMPORTS chiefly OF
sugar, tea, tobacco, wine, spirits, coffee and corn
The internal revenue arises from stamps, excise,
land and assessed taxes, postage and the property
tax
They arc not SO utterly!mean across the water
to tax luciter matches, pins and needless thread and
cotton, and such necessary ritcs in ordinary use;
but thoy tax supcrfluities, and particularly such
administer to the persSaal vanity of those who
ter with his crest or full armorial bearings, must
pay 81 year, and s11 if he is chargcabc with the
duty of assessed taxes for any carriage. Where
there is carriage there must be servant to look
after it-pcrhaps another to mind the horse
horses Now, as people can generally dispense
Tt S @ and Rs rg tt each &
duty is S. year upon every male servant over 1S
years old, and half that for malo servants under
game Keepers. If q servant be of the old school
and wear powder on his head, there is an extra tax
of s5 each man. This yielded $4,000 last year
The duty upon carriages varies, according to
size and grandeur, from s., when drawn by q pony
not exceeding thirteen hands in height, to afuli-
grown carriage, drawn by two or more horses. If
and sportsman desires to shoot grouse partritl-
ges, or pheasants, ut the appointed seasons, he
must not pull trigger until he has first 'steppcd
license. The price Of this is SIS year, and If he
has keeper, $40 extra must be paid for him.
Shooting is not much good without a setter
the pursuit Of game is So. II man keeps grey
hounds, the tax is SIS; and if he keeps pack of
hounds he may have to pay. s197. Shooting and
hunting arc luXnrcs (as we'll as vanities, i'll very
many cascs). and those who indulge III them must
"pny for their whistle" sagaciouS Franklin said
There cannot be hunting without horses, and the
dealers in them must take out annual license
costing S127 i'll London, and half tEat amount III
the country.
The animals themselves, 80 often kept for show
and from mere oatontation do not pass Scot-frec
If man keeps fast horse, the public revenue
benefits by his pride or vanity, according to the
| creatures rank i'll equine arstocracv. For Il pony
s1.5o per annum; for the same, if kept for riding
or drawing carriage chargcable with duty s.. so;
for horse over thirteen hands high, $3.50; for a
horse OF the same height, kept for riding
riaSe use, $3.50; and for every horse kept used
for racing, $40.
4 parliamentary return of the proceeds of the
British tnanci ial year ending March, 1865, shows
how these various subj jccts of taxation contribute
to the revenue. 1t is not worth while to go into
details, but We may say That, i'll the years 1864
the sum OF 1897 500 was derived from armorial
bearings; 81 ,05G, go from scrvants O51 5i5 from
dogs, and 1901 $50 from the duty ON gold and sill
Vcr pate. we ada, Tor the information OF the
rious Ill such matters, that, within the same inan-
cial year the national revenue of England was
benefited by the tax on uninhabcd houses to the
extent of s4,5S4 ,G01; by probacs Oh Wills, admin
isrations, lcgacies and SUGGESTIONS ION which there
is no local impost whatcver), ST, ,245,77O by the
stamp OH bills of exchange, 50, ,545; and by
the penny stamp on receipts, drafts, &C., s25O1,
$50.
However, these last items ore digressional
What we wanted to show was, that English taxa
ton is based upon two simple principles, namely:
to lean heaviest upon mXilrics, superHuities and
vanties, and as fur practicable, not to lean Mt
all upon mere necessaries. The last do not yield
much, but their collection is cumbrous as we'll as
costly, and they rritate the minds of the masses
who chiefly have to pay the taxes upon them The
rich arc the proper objects for taxation and the
less wealthy classes ought to bc dealt lightly with
clerk or small tradesman will be taxed if he wear
| q watch to show him how time passes; but mil
lionaire expends large sums on paintings statues
bronzes, rich carvings, stained glass; narqucterie
bJouterie and articles of uertu and is taxed very
lightly indeed, comparison being fairly made, for
the qualification of his tastc-which may be real
| but IL Just as likely to be only ostentatious.
When our system Of internal taxation is remod-
eLed Gt is likely to be permanent, and therefore
ought to be lust), let lis hope that rich men and
poor men will not be taxed alike. The accessories
OF life should be free Of taxation as far as prac-
tical; the supe'Jtuaies, on the other hand, and,
| above.all, the cdndieS, should be dealt strongly
with. or this there cannot be any doubt, except
squeezed for the benefit Of the Republic and for
Cling fellow citizens