New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-21
4 CONTRAST FOR DEMOCRATS


II is tie custom of Americans who like to be
called refomcrs to hold up for admiration the
fiscal system of Great Britain. Its glorious
free-trade system" we are told, relieves 'he
npoDle from enormous burdens which we
unhnpy Americans have 10 bear and It's ex-
cellcnt civil service enables the country to meet
the cost of government with little waste, eX-
travagauce or stealing. Such is the impression
which many form from the teachings OF Dem
ocratic worshippers of the British system
The official statements of British revenue and
expenditures may surprise ana instruct 'hese
norsons. During the calendar year 1888,
fine revenue of the British Government
was eco O35, 522-about $i50,OoOOOO. The
population of Great Britain and Ireland was
35.246.OO0 in 1881, having increased IL per
cent in decade, and at that rate Is now probably
36.45O. 900, while that of the United States
was 1925 900 last July. If taxation were as
heavy here per capita as it is in Great Britain
we should be raising a revenue OF about
SGS1. 900 600. But the actual revenue OF the
limited States Government for the fiscal year
1888 was 1898, 237,5S2, and an act designed
to rcdnce if to about $3.50, 10000 has already
been in force six months.
Thai is not all. The British revenue barely
covers the annual expenses. Indeed, the
accounts f0a December 81 show dehcit OF
IS, 800, 900, which it is expected however, VIII
be made good before the close of the fiscal year.
But the United States, from the revenue OF the
fiscal wear 1883, applied no less than
1892. S79, 4l4 to the payment OF debt. Ihe
whole expenses Of the Government last year
were $3.50, 4OS,13S, whereas, if as heavy as
those of Great Britain in proportion to
population, the expenses would have been
S6S4. OOO, 900 or more. As the debt is held
almost wholly by our own people, taxation for
the purpose of extinguishing it is merely taking
money from the people in order to give 1t back
to the people, but the whole British revenue is
taken from the people for the current expenses
of the machine called Government.
The Government of Great Britain raises
revenue in IL different way from ours. But It's
customs nevertheless yield f19,SlO,OOO, or
about 800 O50, 900, against about S2l4,7OO,OOO
so raised in this country prior TO the reduction
of taxation But, on the other hand, Great
Britain raises G27,12O.000 by excise taxes, OF
about Sl33. SOC. 900, while the internal revenue
here yielded 81 ii, 100, 900 last year, and has
now been cut down to $120,000000. Con-
siderng the difference in tax paying population,
the British excuses take about So ~ for each
person, and ours about 81 GO for each person
last year, and about So 10 this year. But,
besides the taxes already mentioned, Great
Britain collects by stamp and land taxes, house
duty, property and income tax, and i'll other
WAYS, 4I3,1Oj,522 in year, or about
S2l5. 100000, while we raised in all other
ways than by customs and internal revenue
only sos, 100000 last year, and have now so far
abolished taxes that the estimated receipts from
such other sources for the current year are only
SOS, 100000. In other words, Great Britain
takes from the people about So 81 for each per-
son by these other taxes, while we now take
only 90 cents for each person by all other meth
DDS than customs and excuses.
The heaviest of these other taxes in Great
Britain, the property and income tax, yielded
G12, 720, 600 last year. or about 500, 100000.
This would be considered an intOlerabe burden
in the United States and it was a little in
creased in Great Britain last year by the extra
pence to the pound, imposed for Egyptian war
expenditures. But there are also the stamp tax,
yielding eli, ST. 900, or about $59,31J, 900, n
land tax of G1,054,000, and house tax of
Gl,79G, 00O If these four taxes amounting in
United States currency to about $l37, 205,000,
were added TO the British customs, the aggre-
gate would exceed the amount raised in this
country by tariff about $21, 800, 900. But is it
not plain that such an increase Of customs would
be easier for Great Britain to bear than the
stamp, property and income, land and house
taxes now paids
The comparison does not show that We
have any especial reason to envy the Eng
lsh their financial methods. They have q
heavy debt, it is true, on which the interest is
about twice as much as the interest charge on
the debt of the United States But it is not i'm
possible that the British debt might have been
reduced as much as that of the United States.
| if its modes of taxation had been more like our
own.