The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-07
Its Nearly Four Times as
Great as in This Country
ROYALTY COMES HIGH
THE PEOPLE PAY TWO AND A
HALF MILLION DOLLARS FOR
THE LUXURY.
THEY WILL LEARN BE7TER SOME DAY
The United States Pays For Head to the
Government Less Than a Hundred
Thousand Dollars Year.

Government Less Than Hundred
thousand Dollars Year. +
Especial Correspondence of the Chicago
Record)
Washington, ID. c., Oct. 23.-Ameri-
cans who are complaining of taxation
and growing about the burdens imposed
by the Dingley law can find very little
consolation in the revenue returns and
the budgets of Great Britain. The re-
ceipts of the general government during
the fiscal year, which ended March 81,
1897, were $560,992,T35. The popula-
ton of Great Britain and Ireland is be-
tween 100000 and 100000, which,
taking the maximum "a the basis of
ton for the support of the general gov
eminent is S14 per capita.
The receipts of the United States gov
eminent for the last fiscal year, ended
June 80, 1897, were $347 ,1S4,72S, which,
with population of 70,000,000 is equi-
yalent to Il tax of about 81 per capita.
the history of Great Britain, and it is
expected that the present year will show
q still greater increase in the revenues,
but there is no talk of reducing taxation.
Military and naval expenditures are in
creasing annually. OF the entire ex-
penditures of the British government
more than four-ffths went for war, war
debts and preparations for war. The
exact proportion was 16 shillings and
31a pence in every pound, leaving )
shillings S15 pence for all other pur-
poses.
A few years ago the government of
the United States suffered the usual af-
Fiction of surplus revenue. In 1887
It amounted to So, 100000. in 1883 to
S67 100000, in 1889 to S49,000,000 and In
1890 the receipts were $45,000,000 more
than the expenditures, whereupon Con-
gress struck off the principal sources Of
revenue, and there has been deficit
varying from $4,000,000 to S10.000,000
every year since. In Great Britain an
abundant revenue is considered an indi-
cation of national prosperity and a
satisfactory fiscal policy. A surplus Is
considered an advantage, and is applied
to the reduction of the national debt
as long rs it lasts. The financial policy
OF the government is permanent. The
people will not allow it to be tempered
with. and whenever the ministry talks
about such things as it is now talking
about, concessions to the silverites, the
public begins to demand retirement.
The following is list of the chief
sources of revenue of the British govern
ment, and the amount received from each
expressed in American money: 4
Customs .S107 ,312.s55
Excise 161 ,S34.350
Property and income tax :. S3,250,000
Taxfon legacies and estates 69,816105
Receipts from postoffce -. 59,300.000
Stamps on legal papers, etc. 59,300O00
Telegraph and telephones. 14.550.000
Land and house tax ... 12150,000
Receipts from crown lands. 2,075,000
Receipts from Suez canal :. 4,S20,365
Miscellaneous -. ....... :. 10,4S4, 1850
Although Great Britain is a free-trade
country that government collects more
than half as much money from import
dues as the United States, the total in
that country for the last fiscal year be-
ing S176.31G,393. The import tax in
Great Britain is imposed on articles that
are considered luxuries-such as tea, cof-
fee, cocoa, tobacco, wines and liquors,
beer, perfumery, soap, confectionery,
fruits, playing cards, silyerware and
some other articles Of similar char
acter.
Tile excise and stamp taxes in England
correspond very closely to our internal
revenue taxation. The receipts from that
quarter in the United States amount to
$146.251 ,263, while in England they
reached nearly S200,000,00o. In the
United States the internal revenue tax
is imposed upon tobacco, beer, liquor,
spirits of all kinds, playing cards and
articles which contain alcohol. In Eng
land the excise receipts are likewise
drawn from tobacco and drink, and no
other country, except perhaps Russia,
obtains so large a proportion of it's
revenue from that source. This is a
cause of great complaint. The reform
ers declare that the revenues come from
the millions and not from the million
aires, and they demand removal or at
least reduction of the taxes on tea,
coffee, tobacco and beer on the theory
that they have become necessaries of
life.
The receipts from the sale OF stamps
in Great Britain amounted to nearly
$37,000,000 last year. These stamps
We're attached to legal documents-such
as leases, mortgages, conveyances, in
surance policies, bills of exchange, drafts,
bank checks and all bills for nercha1l-
disc purchased above 2 shllings and G
pence. Postage stamps and internal
revenue stamps are Interchangeable
which is great public convenience.
But the millionaires add their share to
the income of the government through
sAa tax on legacies and estates, which
Tsis attempted by the Legislature in
New York last year and caused such q
tremendous outcry among the rich. The
''death tax" as it is Familiarity called in
England, is something appalling to those
who are not accustomed to it. The
heirs of every man who dies are requir-
ed to contribute from l to 8 shillings to
the government for every f100 in money
or property that they receive as legacies,
with / per cent. upon the value of en-
failed esfatpS In addition TO fhiR there