Hints for Hardinge; Being a Series of Political Essays Published Originally in the Dublin Morning Register with an Appendix, Containing Observations on the Report of Mr. Spring Rice's Committee on the State of the Poor in Ireland, and Letters to the Edit (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The duties on the coarser kind of paper are, we believe, unequal tlie inequality is against " the least taxed country in Europe." The " household" articles are soap, candles, tallow, and coals. We are hnrthened by a very heavy coal tax. We endure a coal tax from which that part of Great Britain called Scotland is exempt. The English soap and tallow tax does not affect this country, but its amount is not of great magnitude. The building articles are glass, bricks and tiles, and timber. VVe pay the English glass and timber duties. From the duties on bricks and tiles we are exempt, but they are not considerable. The other heads of taxation are auctions, licenses, insurances, stamps, post-office, and land and assessed taxes. In respect to auctions, licenses, Insurances, and post-office, there is no difference between the " least taxed' and most taxed countries. Onr stamp duties are lighter in many instances than the English, and though we have some " land taxes" we have no assessed taxes. We do not undervalue our exemption from heavier stamp duties and the assessed taxes, but it comprehends nearly all the fiscal indulgence practiced towards Ireland, and supplies the only foundation for the assumption that in reference not only to England, but all other countries, our taxes are insignificant. The effect of this exemption is, that it relieves us from such contribution as we should, under other circumstances, make to the one-twelfth or one- thirteenth of the Imperial income. The amount of this contribution would be under 400,0001. a- year, if Mr. Goulburn was right in his estimate of the produce of the proposed stamp duties, for the assessed taxes, from which we have been relieved, produced only 297,0001. in the last year of their existence. We contribute our full quota to abou...