THOUGHTS ON THE INCREASE OF THE PERMANENT AND WAR TAXES FOR THE YEARS 1805 AND 1806: TO WHICH ARE APPENDED, TABLES SHEWING THE RELATIVE INCOME OF EACH QUARTER OF THOSE YEARS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF BEING COMPARED WITH EACH OTHER. THE foregoing pages have comprised a succinct account of the state of foreign countries; composed chiefly with a view to render in telligible what allusions to the state of those countries, or what information as to their principal events, as they occur, may appear in our Work. But a more intimate acquaintance with the sources of British power and welfare is the natural wish of every friend to his country. This we have endeavoured to gratify on various occasions, according to our opportunities and abilities. The subject of the finances of Britain has repeatedly occupied our pages. Particularly, in consequence of the Minister's late proposa! for suspending the progressive increase of taxation, we have thought it our duty to contribute all in our power to the elucidation of that important proposition. But it is natural when the difficulty of suggesting fresh subjects of taxation is mentioned and acknowledged on all hands, that inquiry should be made as to what has been already taxed, and what has been the produce of those taxes. We are therefore happy in an opportunity of submitting to our readers the following Tables, which shew, 1. The articles taxed. 2. The produce of these taxes quarterly, for the years 1805 and 1806, whereby we learn the comparative state of each article, and its effect on the whole, for these two years. 3. The divisions of these taxes under their respective heads, enables us at one view to distinguish their nature, and the sources which support them. It appears, that the total for the year 1805 is 13,171,449; for 1806, the total is 14,821,252. The increase being £1,649,756. Moreover, this increase does not appear to have affected the enjoyments of the public, in any essential degree, for the result is derived from a general advance on inost of the articles, not from a sudden or exorbitant requisition from any in particular. If we take what are commonly called the Assessed Taxes as instances, we find that in 1805 the produce of the tax on Inhabited Houses was £471,185; in 1807 it was £584,860. Riding Horses produced in 1805 £495,119; in 1806, £583,986. Male Servants are increased from £249,820 to 338,435. Carriages, from £260,088 to £302,349. Dogs, from £9, 45 to £112,628. The same may be said of various other articles. That tax which might be supposed to suffer essentially in times of distress, the Licences for Lottery Oflices, is VOL. I. [Lit. Pan. March, 1807.] augmented from £5,108 to £8,292. As the purchase of lottery tickets is a tax not imposed, but willingly submitted to, it should seem that this can only occupy the spare cash of the purchasers, and if there were a falling off of purchasers, we should hardly find an increase of offices for the sale of tickets. These Tables also shew the arrears of taxes which, though left outstanding in former years, have been gathered in the present years: for, after the utmost diligence in collection, arrearages are unavoidable. These Tables are, as their titles express, the register of the produce of the Permanent Taxes and War Taxes. They enable us therefore to judge, in some degree, of the nature of those taxes, which the Minister proposes to pledge, and of the propriety of pledging them. They afford many points of comparison applicable to the state of public affairs, and shew the resources of the kingdom in a striking point of view. We are far from considering the powers of any nation upon earth as infinite, or inexhaustible, as incapable of abuse, or of being dissipated "like a summer cloud," by increasing prodigality. At the same time as we wish to prohibit despondency, we equally wish to prohibit that pride and self-sufficiency which is usually the forerunner of evils, and not unfrequently the occasion of calamities. The medium, the golden mean, is the most desirable, and the most safe: the happiness of a nation should be the object of its government, and this depends on other causes also. For, however the exchequer of a people may abound, and the conveniences or elegancies of life may be studied: there may, nevertheless, be much misery, much inimorality, and much discontent, which are more than adequate drawbacks from the general sum of national prosperity. This has appeared so evident to our most considerate statesmen, that they seem to be determined to examine it, with all their powers, and we heartily wish that every plan may meet with success, which has for its object the alleviation of the public burdens, together with an amelioration of the public manners. If that alleviation of those very burdensome rates which are collected for the poor, nominally, but which include other expences, of various kinds also, that has lately been proposed by Mr. Whitbread it the Commons House of Parliament, should take place, it may lead us to expect an improvement in morals as well as in finances, throughout the nation. In every point of view, the immense sums drained from the public under that tax deserve investigation, and we doubt not but the wisdom of Parliament will devise some mode by which the effect of their ons gay Le diain'shed.-Vide Lord Suffolk's Plan, Panorama, p. 102 and 103. 2 Y reserving surplus of duty on receipts 1803 Stamps, Compositions for, per Bank Selling Lottery Tickets, Licences for INCIDENTS-Letter Money ....... ..... STAMPS-Reserved from Consolidated Duties £769,365 19s. 6d. per quarter, according to 44 Geo. III. cap. 98, from October 1804, NET PRODUCE of the PERMANENT and WAR TAXES, in GREAT BRITAIN, for the YEAR, ending Jan, 5, 1806, distinguishing each QUARrter. CUSTOMS Consolidated, after reserving £62,500 per quarter, according April . 1805. 820,418 to 43 Geo. III. cap. 68 Duty, Quarantine L4 per Cent. Dock and Canal Duty. EXCISE-Consolidated s. d. £ s. d £ s. d. £ s. d. 686,671 14 I 1,383,214 4 74 7,804 3 O 900,228 2 I 4,287 16 2 3.790.532 2 8.623 17 239 10 O 12,742 16 O 3,623,080 11 7 6.335 6 2/ 3,674,189 14 6 8,172 11 3,153,100 6 7 Licences, Horse Dealers Armorial Bearings Reserved out of Houses and Windows, 43 Geo. III. cap. 161. £474,474 per quarter; from April 1804 Houses Inhabited 9,389 11 7 676 092 13,020 O 1,920 15 9 153 15 2,252 19 104 911 12 101 509 9 24 6,480 o 330 2,640 1,885 16 1 13,992 13 8 1,408 19 7,866 0 41 238,762 4 6 649,350 o 252,251 638,440 5 Mules, Horses. Riding Horses. .... Servants, Male Carriages Dogs 52,950 O O 211,320 O 103,050 0 103,865 4 31 40,41 I O 214,660 O 58,900 0 182,148 6 +32 26,443 190,860 159,986 4 10 13,900 126,720 496,119 6 422,689 4 10 2 24,600 67,650 11 106,930 0 4.700 37,830 81,38 4 7 249,820 II 260,088 474 32,165 0 II 90,045 O II 06,801,905 8 7 6,530,0169 026,210,635 4 24 Duty on Receipts, Surplus of 1803, after Consolidated Customs, after reserving as 43 Geo. III. cap. 68... 62,500 0 20,507 0 O 62,500 0 O 12,523 O O 62,500 0 O 250,000 0 O 12.429 13 8 53,283 13 8 cap. 98. from October 1804 Consolidated Stamp Duties, Surplus of, after reserving as 44 Geo. III. Consolidated Letter Money, estimated Amount of additional Duty on Postage of Letiers, 45 Geo. ill. cap. 11. Salt Auctions 1,924 O 3.033 12 112,534 8,175 O 15.574 23,874 0 4,646 O 462 18 74 1,157 13 4 59722 O 8 4,957 12 2 64 247,356 O Wire 18,721 0 O 2. I 24551 O O 19,897 0 ( 3,713 13 4 1,840 13 4 9 1,679 12 3 1.477 13 ༢༣ 4,516 4 34 £5,766,439 5 54 | 7,634,062 13 24 7,448,762 0 6 7,195,389 I 6 28,044,653 81 NET PRODUCE of the PERMANENT and WAR TAXES, in GREAT BRITAINcontinued. 204 505 16 4 45,651 o O 250,430 O O £5.766,439 5 5 7,634 062 13 24 7,448,762 o 6 104 317 100 7,195,389 381,178 18,150 0 6699 628,044,653 0 84 764,345 II 7 April 5, 1806. £ s. d. NET PRODUCE of the PERMANENT and WAR TAXES, in GREAT BRITAIN, for the YEAR, ending Jan. 5, 1807, distinguishing each QUARTER. CUSTOMS-Consolidated, reserving £62,500 per quarter, according to 43 Geo. III. cap. 68 .... Duty, Quarantine £41 per Cent. Dock and Canal Duty EXCISE-Consolidated 3,130,312 17 10 8,511 9 10 3,761,838 0 O STAMPS Reserved from Consolidated Duties £769,365 195. hd per quarter, according to 44 Geo. III. cap. 98, from October 1804, reserving surplus of duty on receipts 1803 Stamps, Compositions for, per Bank Selling Lottery Tickets, Licences for INCIDENTS-Letter Money Hackney Coaches and Chairs 6d. per L on Pensions Salaries CHouses and Windows Riding Horses Husbandry Horses Male Servants 8,522 9 11 3,541,946 16 5 8,924 197 3,395,073 O O 35,749 3 OF 13,829,170 14 3 Rent of Alum Mines Do a Light-House Alienation Duty .... First Fruits (Clergy).. Tenths (Do Forfeitures and Fines 40 7 231,166 13 4 231,166 13 4. 4.398 4 114 16,020 18 24 5,675 6 4,862 4 9,811 15 41 3,263 11 41 2,574 13 14 17,948 4 111 8,776 6 1 5,165 10 2,938 19 04 I 4,228 19 51 1,663 15 7 2 34 484 15 7 1,215 12 5 718 14 11 O 9 4 7 II 8000 O 8,292 I 440 5 27 16 6 465 18 41 606 19 207486 |