LOCAL TAXES 87 



difficulty of rating stock - in - trade, and 

 other forms of personal property, it came 

 to be the practice only to impose this 

 local income tax, not on all the inhabitants, 

 according to ability and substance, but 

 only on the occupiers of lands and houses, 

 and certain mines and woods, according 

 to their annual rental. 



With the progress of the country in 

 wealth of various kinds, this local income 

 tax assessed in this way became more and 

 more unfair. Some important classes of 

 incomes escaped altogether, and those that 

 were rated were taxed with great inequality. 



During the nineteenth century the defects 

 and inequalities of this system have been 

 remedied to some extent in different ways. 



(i) In the first place, the meaning of 

 rateable property has been somewhat 

 extended. Other kinds of mines besides 

 coal mines, other woods, etc., sporting 



