on i hot BORE RogyeN 
, 
. -Great BRITAIN. 
"THE requifition fo unprecedented in 
~ this country. of a treble affeilment, 
which the minifter propofed at the open- 
ing of the budget, will probably form an 
important part of the hiftory of the pre- 
fest feffion, as the-two famous bille did 
ofthat of 1796. Confined as aré our 
limits, we have, therefore, given a brief 
account of the rife and progref{s of this _ 
bill; its final arrangement muft be de- 
ferred till our next. 
Mr. Pitt, in a committee of Ways aad 
Means, on the 24th of .November, rofe 
and obferved, that the mode-1n which he 
thould propofe to raife the fupplies for the 
enfuing year; was in tts principles new 
im our financial operations for the {aft 
century. At prefént he meant only to 
bring forward the outlines of what he 
fthould hercafter propofe in a more de- 
taffed manner: but before he fubmityed 
this dutline to the committee, he recalled 
to their attention the vote of fuppiy, the 
amount of the feveral articles of which 
was as follows: 
Navy - - 12.539,380 
Army - - 10,112,950 
Ordnguce ==... va 1,291,038 
Mifcellancous Services - " 673,000 
Commiuffioners of National Debt 200,006 
De&ciency of Grants * 677,000 


Lab) aD 
Potal £2554933379 
Notwithfanding the expenditure would 
this year deereafe 6:700,60cl. yet, he ob- 
ferved, rhere remained the immenfe fum 
@o YWENTY-FIVE MILLIONS “AND! “A 
HALP to be provided for the fupply of the 
year, He then ehtered into his plan of 
“ays and Means, to rate this fam. 
‘The firftvarticle was the growing pro- 
duce of the confolidared fund and the lot- 
tery, taken together at 7oojcool. To this 
was to be added the land and malt, at the 
u'ual fums of 2,700,000!. eftimatiag then 
thefe articles at three millions and a half, 
there ftill remained twenty-rwo millions 
to be provided for. He then propofed 
that the bank fhould advance the fum of 
three millions upen exchequequer bills. 
The fum “that now remained was 
nineteen millions: the ofual mode of 
providing for this deficiency was by loan. 
Mé “knew very well that, notwithftanding 
the gréat decumulation of ‘our public 
debt, we had refowrces amply furfficient for 


_ (STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS; 
* vn ta December, 17972 ; 
~Jions. 
[Dees 
that objeét. He propofed to raife by a. 
general tax, the fum of feyen millions 
within the year. In propofing this he 
_ was aware that he was propofing what 
had-never been admitted at any former. 
period. ~If this plan. was earricd into 
effect, he dhould ftill be” under the necef- 
fity of borrowing twelve millions, by way 
of loan. it 
The affeffed taxes was the ground upon 
which he> meant to ratfe-the feven mil 
Thefe taxes, he faid, contained fo 
many articles of the frit neceflity,~ blend- 
ed with the optional articles of luxury, 
that there could -not exift 4 better teft of 
the expenditure of an individual, and con- 
fequently of his ~ ability of payment 
This: principle excluded all thofe whe 
wete already exempt from the payment 
of the affefled taxes; the contribution 
only affecting thofe who paid the aflefled 
taxes—IJt included between 7oo,o06 and 
' 890,000 houfes : that is, the matters of 
thofe families paid taxes ; and he calcu- 
lated that the inhabirants of thofe 700,000 
or 809,e00 houfes, contained about four 
millions of populations... — - 
The next objeét of enquiry was how 
the fcheme was to be applied ‘to the dif- 
ferent clafles: The total amount of the 
affeffed taxes. as far as could be colleéted, 
was 2,700,000l.—-This fum was collected 
from between 700;000 or 800,000 mafters 
of families. Out of this fum the number of 
400000 did not contribute more than 
rgo,oool. -When he ftated the fum of 
2,700,000l. as the amount of thefe taxes, 
it. would be perceived*that by raifing the 
propofed fum of 7,000,000. it would be 
fomething lefs than the treble amount of 
thefe taxes, With regard to the window 
and houfe duties, he propofed that they 
fhou!d in fome cafes be doubled, in other 
cafes ‘trebied, and in fome even quadru- 
pled, according to the ability of the inha- | 
bitants, and-in fome cafes alleviation might 
be given to perfons who might prove their 
inability, before proper perions, to be ap- 
pointed for that purpofe. Refpeéting the 
other articles of taxation, fervants, horfes, 
and carriages, he propofed that they 
firould be trebled generally, as a tempo- 
rary tax. In higher claffes, he fhould 
propofe yeta higherrate, and where their 
aflefied ‘taxes proved them opulent, as 
high as four times. 
Vhe recapitulation of the Ways and 
Means then itood as follows : 
The? 

