[postmaster is and ought to be in the sole power and disposal of the parliament. This office was afterwards farmed. by one Manley, in 1654 (p). But in 1657 a regular post office was erected, by the authority of the Protector and his parliament, upon nearly the same model as has been ever since adopted, and with the same rates of postage as continued till the reign of Queen Anne (q). After the restoration a similar office, with some improvements, was established by statute 12 Car. II. c. 35;] but the rates of letters have been since altered, and further regulations added by many subsequent statutes (r). It is the opinion of Blackstone, that there [cannot be devised a more eligible method than this, of raising money upon the subject:] and he remarks, that [it affords to both the government and the people a mutual benefit; because the government acquire a revenue, and the people do their business with greater ease, expedition, and cheapness, than they would be able to do if no such tax, (and of course no such office,) existed.] Of late, however, the post office has been regarded less as a source of revenue, than as affording an easy, ready, and cheap transmission of correspondence; for the convenience of the public, and the promotion of the commercial interest of the country (s). And the postage is accordingly now reduced to a very low and uniform rate (t); the produce arising wherefrom, appears however to be steadily increasing. V. [A fifth branch of the revenue consists in the stamp duties,] which are a tax imposed upon all parchment and (p) Scobel, 358. (q) Com. Journ. 9th June, 1657; Scobel, 511. (r) See the later acts. 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 3; 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. cc. 32, 33, 36, 76; 1 & 2 Vict. cc. 97, 98; 2 & 3 Vict. c. 52; 3 & 4 Vict. c. 96; 10 & 11 Vict. c. 85; 11 & 12 Vict. cc. 88, 117; 18 & 19 Vict. c. 27. And as to colonial posts, see 7 & 8 Vict. c. 49. (s) See the remarks of Lord Palmerston, Hansard's Debates, 16th July, 1855. (t) 3 & 4 Vict. c. 96. On the same occasion was abolished the privilege formerly exercised by members of parliament, of franking, or sending and receiving letters free of duty. paper whereon any private deeds or other instruments of almost any nature whatsoever are written (u); and upon all newspapers (v), cards and dice (x). This tax (consisting of various imposts according to the nature of the thing stamped) is in some cases heavily felt, yet when moderate in its amount affords some compensatory advantage to the public, [by authenticating instruments, and rendering it much more difficult, than formerly, to forge deeds of any standing; since, as the officers of this branch of the revenue vary their stamps frequently, by marks known to none but themselves, a man that would forge a deed of King William's time, must know and be able to counterfeit the stamp of that date also.] The first institution of the stamp duties [was by statute 5 & 6 W. & M. c. 21; but they have since in many instances been increased vastly beyond their original amount (y)]: and there are two duties classed by act of parliament under this branch of (u) In the Finance Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 1856 (p. 27), the heads of duty under the account of stamps, as regards Great Britain, are as follows:-Deeds and other instruments not included under any of the following heads, viz., probates of wills and letters of administration; bills of exchange; bankers' notes; receipts and drafts; marine insurances; licences and certificates; newspapers and other papers; medicine; legacies and successions; fire insurances; gold and silver plate; cards and dice; penalties in law proceedings and costs recovered, and admiralty stamps. mission by post, free from charge. (x) 13 & 14 Vict. c. 97. (y) The principal Stamp Acts are the 55 Geo. 3, c. 184, the 13 & 14 Vict. c. 97; 16 & 17 Vict. c. 59, c. 63; and 17 & 18 Vict. c. 83. See also the following statutes, 60 Geo. 3 & 1 Geo. 4, c. 9; 3 & 4 Geo. 4, c. 117; Geo. 41, c. 4; 6 Geo. 4, c. 41; 9 Geo. 4, cc. 18, 49; 11 Geo. 4 & Will. 4, c. 43; 1 & 2 Will. 4, c. 22; 2 & 3 Will. 4, c. 120; 3 & 4 Will. 4, cc. 23, 97; 4 & 5 Will. 4, cc. 57, 60; 5 & 6 Will. 4, cc. 20, 64; 6 & 7 Will. 4, c, 76; 1 & 2 Vict. c. 85; 4 & 5 Vict. c. 79; 5 & 6 Vict. c. 79; 6 & 7 Vict. c. 72; 7 & 8 Vict. c. 21; 8 & 9 Vict. cc. 2, 76; 11 & 12 Vict. c. 9; 12 & 13 Vict. c. 80; 14 & 15 Vict. c. 18; 15 & 16 Vict. c. 21; 16 & 17 Vict. cc. 51, 59, 63, 71; 18 & 19 Vict. cc. 36, 78; 19 & 20 Vict. c. 27, s. 2; c. 81. (v) 13 & 14 Vict. c. 97; 18 & 19 Vict. c. 27. By this last act it is however provided, that it shall not be compulsory to print newspapers on paper stamped for this duty, except for the purpose of their transP P. 2. the revenue, (though of a different nature from the rest,) which are of such importance as to deserve particular notice, viz., that payable under the Legacy Duty Acts (≈), and that payable under "The Succession Duty Act, 1853” (a). VI. A sixth branch of the revenue consists of the assessed taxes, or duties assessed and charged upon persons in re (z) See 36 Geo. 3, c. 52; 45 Geo. 3, c. 28; 55 Geo. 3, c. 184, sched.; 8 & 9 Vict. c. 76, s. 4; 13 & 14 Vict. c. 97; 16 & 17 Vict. c. 51. This duty is chargeable on legacies and on the residue of the personal estate of a person deceased. Where the legacy or residue, or part of the residue, accrues to a child or descendant of a child, or the father or mother, or any lineal ancestor, of the deceased, the duty is 17. per cent. If to a brother or sister, or any descendant of a brother or sister, 31. per cent. If to a brother or sister of the father or mother of the deceased, or any descendant of such brother or sister, 51. per cent. a brother or sister of a grandfather or grandmother of the deceased, or any descendant of such brother or sister, 67. per cent. And if to any person in any other degree of collateral consanguinity to the deceased, 101. per cent.; which is also the rate in the case of a legacy to a stranger in blood. If to (a) 16 & 17 Vict. c. 51. This act (on the construction of which see Re Jenkinson, 26 L. J. (Ch.) 241, and with which 36 Geo. 3, c. 52, ss. 10, 11, 12, 14 and 23 are incorporated,) imposes a succession duty on all beneficial interest in property, real or personal, accruing to any party upon any death which shall have taken place after 19th May, 1853; and on every increase of benefit accruing to any person after that day, by the determination of any charge on real or personal property, where such charge is determinable only by reference to death. The rate of this duty varies according to the degree of consanguinity or the absence of consanguinity, between the party becoming beneficially entitled and the party from whom the interest is derived, and varies according to the same scale as set forth in the last note with respect to legacy duty. But it is to be understood that the duty under this act is not in any case chargeable in addition to that under the Legacy Duty Acts; it being provided, that no person charged with the duty under those acts in respect of any property subject to such duty, shall be charged also with the duty granted by the act now in question in respect of the same acquisition of the same property (sect. 18). Where the succession duty has become payable, notice must be given of it, within such period as the act directs, to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, under a heavy penalty in case of neglect; and a like penalty will be payable every month during which the neglect continues (sect. 44-46). spect of articles in their use or keeping (b). The duties now comprised under this branch of taxation, are those on inhabited houses, servants, carriages, horses and mules, dogs, horse dealers, hair powder, armorial bearings, and game duty (c). The assessed taxes, as well as the stamps and excise, are under the management of the commissioners of" Inland Revenue" (d). VII. The seventh and last branch of the Crown's extraordinary and permanent revenue is [the duty upon offices. and pensions, consisting in an annual payment (over and above all other duties), out of all salaries, fees and perquisites of offices and pensions payable by the Crown, exceeding the value of 1007. per annum. This was first imposed by statute 31 Geo. II. c. 22,] for a temporary period, and, after having been from time to time continued, was made perpetual by 49 Geo. III. c. 29 (e). The seven taxes of which notice has now been taken are all (as we have before remarked) which are permanently fixed upon the subjects of this realm. But in the year 1842, the revenue being insufficient to meet the public expenditure, it was found necessary to revive with some modifications a tax which had been levied on former occa (b) See 43 Geo. 3, cc. 55, 99, 161; 48 Geo. 3, c. 141; 50 Geo. 3, c. 105; 3 & 4 Will. 4, c. 39; 4 & 5 Will. 4, c. 60; 3 Geo. 4, c. 88; 2 & 3 Vict. c. 35; 5 & 6 Vict. cc. 37, 80; 6 & 7 Vict. c. 24; 7 & 8 Vict. c. 46; 14 & 15 Vict. c. 26; 16 & 17 Vict. c. 90; 17 & 18 Vict. cc. 1, 85; 19 & 20 Vict. c. 80. (c) See Finance Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 1856 (p. 28). The tax on inhabited houses was substituted by 14 & 15 Vict. c. 36, for a tax on windows, which had been established by 7 Will. 3, c. 18. (d) 12 & 13 Vict. c. 1; 16 & 17 Vict. c. 51, s. 9. As to the mode of recovering arrears of assessed taxes, see Attorney-General v. Sewell, 1 Horn & Hurl. 262; 43 Geo. 3, c. 99; 5 & 6 Will. 4, c. 20; 9 & 10 Vict. c. 56. As to the relief of soldiers, &c. in respect of the duty on horses and carriages in certain cases, see 6 & 7 Will. 4, c. 65; 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 61. As to compounding for the assessed taxes, see 8 & 9 Vict. c. 36; 13 & 14 Vict. c. 96; 14 & 15 Vict. c. 33. (e) As to this duty, see also 32 Geo. 2, c. 33; 48 Geo. 3, c. 2, s. 18; 2 & 3 Vict. c. 94. sions of emergency, for a limited period, viz., a property and income tax. This was accordingly imposed by 5 & 6 Vict. c. 35, at the rate of 7d. yearly in the pound on the profits arising from property, professions, trades and offices; with exemption only in favour of persons whose incomes fell within a certain sum. But both as to the amount of duty, and of income entitled to exemption, considerable variation has been since, from time to time, introduced by subsequent Acts (f). The expedient thus devised for relieving the public necessities was at first intended to remain in force for a term of three years only, but that term has been since extended to 6th April, 1860 (g). The taxes above enumerated are levied (as before in part explained) to discharge the expenses which are annually incurred by the government, in respect of the public service; and a very large proportion of these expenses consists in payments made on account of the interest of the national debt,—a subject of which it is proper therefore to take some notice in this place. The national debt is in part funded and in part unfunded, the former being that which is secured to the national creditor, upon the public funds, (the nature of which will be presently explained,) the latter, that which is not so provided for. The unfunded debt is comparatively but of small amount, and is generally secured by exchequer bills, which are instruments issued at the exchequer, under the authority (for the most part) of Acts of Parliament passed for the purpose; and containing an engagement, on the part of the government, for the repayment of the principal sums (f) As to the property and income tax, see 5 & 6 Vict. c. 35; 6 & 7 Vict. c. 24, s. 7; 8 & 9 Vict. c. 4; 11 & 12 Vict. c. 8; 14 & 15 Vict. c. 12; 15 & 16 Vict. c. 20; 16 & 17 Vict. cc. 34, 91; 17 & 18 Vict. cc. 10, 24, 40, 85; 18 & 19 Vict. cc. 20, 35; 19 & 20 Vict. cc. 33, 80; 20 Vict. c. 6. As to the principle on which the tax is assessed, see Udney v. The Hon. East India Company, 13 C. B. 733. (g) 16 & 17 Vict. c. 34, s. 59. |
