The Detroit times., 1909-12-23
ENGlIsH BAR0As
DODGE TAXES BY
CLEVER RUsE
Invest Money Abroad, Have Incomes
Paid Into Foreign Bank, Check II
Out and Never Tell Internal
Revenue Department Anything.
Big Campaign Is On To Determine II
Some of Burdens Shall Be Lifted
-. From Masses.
BY. CHARLES p. STEWART.


LONDON. Dec 23.-Come on over
10 England and see how excited every
body Is over the coming election ia
the British isles. over here the mo-
nopolizing OF natural resources has
reached the limit and now they're
holding an election so that they can
legislate away some of the evils which
the English people allowed the few
TO blanket them with.
IL started ever SO long ago in Brit
ain. About 900 years since a small
group OF noblement took possession
or ulf' the land ana then he'd OH by
sword, spear and battleaX. Their de
scendants. OF. the latter day captains
OF Industry who handed over millions
for ancestral estates, still hang on 10
a large. part Of grabbed land-theirs
now by sacred property right. In fact
800 men today own nearly oneseventh
of the land and natural resources Of
the kingdom.
The English government is a pretty
expensive government 10 keep up. To
do II. nearly everything in England
is taxed-except land. Thus the great
competed 10 keep tft,. government go
ing and they pay over 80 per cent oil
the taxes ~sss--v,.--- .--..----- -v.s---------
The masses have made one or two
attempts, To. put part of the. burden
on the nobility. but they never proved
much. of a success, For instance. they
got income and inheritance taxes up
ON the statute books.
How do they work? Why the
nobleman invests his money abroad.
has his income paid into foreign
bank. checks il out as he feels like
IL, and never tells the internal reve-
nue. department anything about IT, The
hired man can't hide his income. Il
shows on the books OF the nobleman
he works for. and the tax collector
helps himself out OF IL. He helps him
self to nearly one-twentieth OF the total
income. III the nobleman paid his In
come tax, too. the rate his hired man
must pay would drop TO one-hftieih.
AS for the inheritance tax, the noble
man generally arranges TO give away
the bulk of his property TO his heirs
before he dies.
II the noblemen would let the masses
work their land. even at exorbitant
rates OF rental, IT wouldn't be quite so
had. But in a great many cases tney
don't. One-tenth OF the area OF Eng
land. Wales and Scotland is closed
against development because the own
ers want. it for game preserves. There
Is a standing army OF about l,OO0,O00
unemployed on the island who would
ike to cultivate these preserves. but
the noblemen insist that this wouldn't
do--if IL were cultivated they couldn't
raise partridges and rabbits on 1t.
The present national campaign In
England is over the budget. The rea-
son the lords disliked the budget was
that II contained clause providing
for a tax on land. II was not large
tax. II was a tax of "haepenny In
the pound" There are 4S0 'hae-pence"
in a pound, so the tax would have
amounted TO only one-four hundred
End eightieth OF the value OF the noble
meE's land, as against the one-twen-
tieth that the hired men have to pay
on their incomes. IL wasn't so much
the amount OF the tar that the lords
objected 10 however, as IL was To the
precedent II the people ever got the
idea that II was right TO tax land at
crease the tax 10 a penny or 70
"tuppence" or TO a shilling or 10
almost any amount.
The nobility admits that the money
the land tax would have brought TO
the government is needed 10 run the
government. But the nobility does not
think land tax Is the proper way OF
getting II. The nobility's idea is that
a tariff Oh food products would be
much the best thing. One nobleman
eats no more than one commoner
No0lemen are numbered by hundreds.
commoners by millions. Thus 1t IS
evident that a food tax would be
placed where taxes belong--on the
masses and.not on the land-holdng
nobility. which. is neither used TO tax
paying nor desires to become familiar
with IL.
There Is an education issue.
church issue, social reform issue.
franchise issue and a dozen others OF
varying Importance and interest. but
they are all subordinate. issues of the
one big issue--are the people going
10 continue. giving up everything they
earn 10 the. nobility. or. having work.
ed for It, are they going to keep 1t for
themselves?