New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-04
= EnglI and American Taxation.

/, The New ork Times has an article co
/. pairing the rates of English and America
! taxation from which we copy the following
| The English Chancellor of the Excheque
asks from the nation for the expenditure Of tn
J coming wear, $500 600 900. Mr. Boutwe
/ calculated that our own expenditure, eNclusiy
OF any payments to account of the redemption
I oil the public debt would amount, for the yea
ending June 50. 1872, TO something short o
5IO.OVOO0O. The appropriation actually
made by Congress reduced the total lower
vi course, thIs represents but one side of tn
contrast. The national taxation of the TIVE
countries cannot be identical in kind. since our
State burdens cover number of items which
IN England are charged to the people at large
In England and Wales the annual sum raised
by local rates amount to $50 600, 900 Ia.
GLIDING Ireland and Scotland IN the estimate.
IN proportion TO their population. We place the
aggregate Of local taxation in Great Britain AT
$40, OOU,OOo per annum. Added to the ex
pected national taxes, we have the total inan
ciai burden of the people of Great Britain for
the coming year, viz, 1855 600.
Mr.. Wells, in his late report on our State
taxes, gave the aggregate State and local taxa.
ton of New York, Ohio, and Vermont as a
basis from which TO estimate the total annual
burdens OF the United States Taking the per
capita rate OF Ohio as the average local rate OF
tue States, we have taxation to the amount of
$40, 100000 to add to the absolute requirements
OF our national expenditure for the year This
would give US total burden of $3.50 600 600
to place against the $751;, 900 600 of Great
Britain. In other words even after including
charge of twenty-four million and half To
account of the sinking fund, we are but sixty.
ave millions in excess of Great Britain in the
aggregate OF our present burdens. To appre-
cIate the COMPARISON, there are various elements
to be kept IN view. First, the population of
Great Britain certainly does not exceed thirty
three and half millions by the present census.
while ours may safely be taken at thirty nine
millions, showing the very close average of
SI3.9I per head in England against Sl6 Is in
the United States
III Is almost unnecessary TO say that in COM
pairing the financial condition OF the two coun.
tries, every other consideration tells against
England That a tax Of one cent on n box of
matches should Causea riot sufficient to brighten
the government, is sufficient evidence how hard
IT Is to increase the tax-bearing power of the
people of Great Britain 1t is not too much TO
say that a dollar is twice as difficult to raise
from or to earn by the mass people III England
rs 1t IL here, and that, consequently their fnan-
clal burdens press on the nation with double
the weight that ours do. The principal and
interest OF our national debt are now but little
over two thousand millions. and the total is
rapidly decreasing, while theirs is almost
stationary at about three thousand eight hun
dred millions. Our material resources are
boundless, while theirs show symptoms of ex,
haustlon. The English democracy are perfectly
cognizant Of the facts which these figures but
family represent. In spite of enlarged popular
privileges, the grinding weight OF taxation, in
stead OF diminishing, is this wear to be still
further ippraaepI 1t h f q. !
look to it, Their subjects are of the same blood
as the men who sent king to the block be-
cause he wanted to overtax them, and of the
men who threw the tea into Boston Harbor for
the same purpose. The time may be unpropi-
tous for the "Reds" coming to the top, but it
is question of few years, if the faces OF the
English poor are ground as they are at present