NATIONAL TAXES 73 



Supplementary Note on the Estate Duties 



As regard the estate duties, or death duties, the real 

 effect of the Acts of 1888 (Goschen) and 1894 (Harcourt) 

 has been to impose greater burden on land, including 

 agricultural land. Mr. Goschen in 1888 added to the duties 

 on real estate, and deducted from the duties on personal 

 estate, as paid into the Exchequer, so as to equalise the two 

 (that is, as paid into the Exchequer). Then he made 

 personal estate pay the amount formerly paid to the 

 Exchequer to the local account. It was supposed that in this 

 way personal property would contribute to local expenses. 

 But this is illusory. So far (1888) personal property pays 

 just the same as before it is only the expenditure of it 

 that varies but real property (including agricultural estates) 

 pays so much more. (The actual percentages are com- 

 plicated.) Any relief afforded is given from the general 

 funds of the State, and not from personal property only, and 

 to these funds the landed interests contribute. All the 

 latter gained was that some relief was given to rates which 

 had increased on account of national or onerous services, 

 so that, on the whole, the landed interests were worse off. 

 By the Act of 1894 all pretence, except in name, was 

 abandoned of personal property making contributions to 

 local expenses. 



The final outcome of the two Acts was simply that land 

 now paid just as much as personal property (except for 

 the instalment principle). Land, that is to say, paid so 

 much more than before, relatively to personal property, 

 and land, as such, received no relief, because the relief 



