, 1876-08-30

forsooth he is the medium through which
the five dollars come into the treasury-at
the treasury's and Bs expense. We say
{" manage to fix, " for who, after all, are
the so-called poor taxpayers7 How and
where do you draw the line between the
poor who are to be favoured, and the we'll
to-do, who are not2 Or are oil taxpayers
poor 2 Are they all to be allowed their
little "speck" of 8 per cent or ~, or any
other percentage, t%antamount, Ia tact, to
a reduction of taxation to that amount I
We have advocated reduction OF taxation
whenever and wherever feasible, at
q time, too, when to do so was to incur
displeasure if not odium in high places, and
derision as we'll in more ~afiuent communi-
ties, where taxes cannot press as hard
as in our sorely visited island, but
we have never advocated the special kind
now apparently taken up by tho 81.
Thomas Times. " But what makes the
case OF our Cotem. still worse, the
taxpayer himself would not reap al
the benefit of the measure proposed.
He would have to share that, probably
the best part OF it, with the specula,
tor who would furnish him with the de-
prcciated coin. Let us see then what
would be the poor taxpayers gain. II per
cent. on SIS would be go cts of which, per-
haps, as much as one-hatf would come to the
taxpayer. Whether these figures are cor
rect to a cent or not does not matter.
They show that the advantage to the poor
taxpayer would not be Il very great one.
But then, in the same manner, it might be
sd fl,oA kln i,e~ - tn fp-11nrvy tr.1lII
not be great, Let us take an example.
Suppose tour-ffths Of the whole Horse
Carriage and Boat tax in this Island, say
about $4,000, were paid in amounts not
exceeding S.. The loss to the treasury
would be nearly $500, supposing the dis
count to be abou. 10 per cent. But it
IS idle to speculate further Oh what losses
the treasury would i.clr, and ours at
least is not in a position to bear too many.
Says our Contemporary further: Z" But
where we fail to understand the DRIFT Of
the argument of our st, Croix Coten-
porary, is In its assertion that the
measure taken by Government, has pro-
teoted the Colo liaI Treasury against spe'
c%ulators. In proof Of this assertion the
ST. Croix Avis copies from our columns
the OF the Trinidad Paper,
Fair Play, concerning the Ordinance
adopted in said Island in regard to silver
dollars only, no mention whatever being
made Of U. S. Coin, which no doubt our
contemporary has omitted to notice. No
thing could better illustrate the difference
existing between the two cases than the
very quotation Of the Aris, since it goes to
prove that the danger for Trinidad arose
from the Ordnance " making it compul.
" sorry on the Receirer-G General to accept
" ct the full value in payment or exchange
" al tie coinage in question presented at
i" the Treasury within 80 days after the
" coming into operation Of the ordnance"
Was anything of the SORT ever meant
here 7" We answer, yes. The only
differences, and which do not interfere
with the analogy Of the cases for our pre-
sent purpose, being that here it would be
compulsory for the treasurer to receive all
silver coin belonging to a certain nation,
not dollars only, and SIS of the amour
of the tax, not the whole, if above that
amount, which would merely make the
gain and loss comparatively triAiog in our
case. The case was one in point in the
argument before US, Fair Play condemn
ing, and very rightly, as we would have
done in our case, had that course been
adopted, the length of the term go days.