The Portland daily press., 1894-09-07
TAXES IN ENGLAND.
The Resources of the Aristocracy Are
Gradually Dwindling.

Now that the income tax has actually
been imposed upon us, it may afford
those who will be especially inconven-
fenced by it lnodicum of consolation to
contrast their condition with that of the
corresponding social class in England.
This class has been afflicted with an
income tax since 1912, and, although the
hoIe was formerly extended to it by sue
cessive chanc ellors of the exchequer that
the revenues OF the government might
increase so as to admit of the discontinue
ance of this taf, the rise of socialism has
now extinguished this hope. Not only
has the prospect of relief been cut off,
but the present burdens have been ma
terially increased by the revenue act
which has lately gone into effect. In adj
dition to the income tax, what are
known as "death Duties" or taxes levied
upon accumulated property whenever
there is a change of. title by will or in
testacy, are henceforIh to be charged
not only upon personally but
also upon real estate. These duties are
progressive, and upon large estates SO
high AS to indicate the adoption of a
distinctly hostile policy against the great
families of the English landed aristoc-
racy. The taxes are therefore not SO
much fiscal as political measure. and
it is from that point of view that we
propose to look at them.
1t is true that some claim has been
made that symmetry" required that
as taxes were levied upon the personal
property of deceuent, his real property
Al l-1 ,I<ko .-T
ignores the fact that real property is
subject to local taxation, or "rates," in
England, from which personally is ex-
empt 1t also ignores the principle of the
distribution of the incidence of taxa
ton. No economist will deny that if
mortgages are effectively taxed, the rate
of interest will be raised to borrowers
upon the security of real estate, and that
the value of real estate will experience
corresponding decline. 1t is still more
evident that a direct tax upon real es-
tate causes diminution of it's value.
1t does not increase productiveness,
while it subtracts from income. The
possessor of real estate upon which a tax
is imposed which he did not anticipate
when he came into possession, inevitably
suffers an Impairment of his revenue.
But the steady decline in the price of
wheat and other agricultural products
has VIGOROUSLY diminished the rent
rolls of the great families of England
to an extent which has seriously EN- bar
raised many of them, and this added
burden will undoubtedly give the coup
de grace to not few.
1t is common for theorists upon taxa
ton to speak of the acquisition of prop
erty by descent or will as something like
windfall, part of which, as in the case
OF treasure-trove, may be seized by the
tax gatherers. 1t is generally the case,
as matter of fact, that the death of an
ordinary man is not pecuniary bless
ing to his family, but serious disaster;
wilhelm the case of families of wealth,
although the title may be in single
individual, the property is regarded as a
nominal owner, therefore, can seldom
improve the circumstances of those for
whom he provided; and it is beyond
question tnat the government in exact
ing a tax upon the inheritance of the
widow and orphans upon the death of
the husband and father generally de-
prives them of part of that income of
which they have previously enjoyed the
possession, though not the title.
The family ownership of property is
peculiarly an institution of the English
ar1stocracy. The great estates are all
settled" in such a way that the tenant
IN possession, after he has satisfied the
charges upon Ine property for the bene-
tit of the female mem bers of the family
and its younger sons. has but moderate
income left. The new law however, al
lows no exemption on this account.
There may be half dozen changes of
title in generation, and should such
an event occur--and it is far from nm
precedented-the entire income of a large
estate for that period would be confscat-
ed by the government. Taxation was
carried to this extreme under the later
Roman Empire, but it is doubtful if
ANYTHING like it has been seen under any
civilized government. The Duke Of
Devonshire in a speech full of dignified
pathos not long since explained to his
tenants and neigh bors at Buxton that it
would be impossible for his family
hencesorth to contribute as they had
done to public improvements. With an
honorable pride he declared that neither
his predecessors nor himself had looked
upon the revenues of their estates as
means OF exclusive, or personal, or sell
fish qualification. He made it no boast.
and claimed for it no merit, that he and
they had NOT only regarded it duty but