HC Deb 06 July 1860 vol 159 cc1525-6
MR. NORRIS

said, he would now beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to take steps for the transfer, from persons locally appointed, to the Officers of Inland Revenue, of the duties of assessors and collectors of Income, Property, and Assessed Taxes and collectors of Land Tax?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

said, the question which the hon. Gentleman had put was one of great importance—the possibility of transferring the collection of the Queen's taxes from local to central authorities. There had been some manifestation of feeling in the House on the subject, but he believed the feeling in the country was favourable to the transfer. It was evident, however, that whatever might be the abstract merits of the question it ought not to be proposed or carried into effect except with the general concurrence of those who were affected by it. The course which the Government had taken was this:—A circular had been sent by the Board of Inland Revenue to all the Boards of Land Tax Commissioners in the kingdom, amounting to 699 in number, and a large number of answers had been received from those Boards—about one-half of the entire number; and another circular had since been sent, spurring up those that had not yet answered, so that they might be able to ascertain their sentiments. As far as the answers had gone they showed that the greater number of the Boards were favourable to the transfer. Speaking generally, the Boards in the large towns were unfavourable, those in the country were decidely favourable to the transfer. There were, therefore, two questions—first, whether the transfer was to be carried by a compulsory measure. To that he could answer at once, that as several of the Boards connected with great masses of the population were unfavourable to the measure, he did not think that the Government would be prepared to introduce a measure of universal application on the subject. It might, however, be that in those instances where the inhabitants of an entire county, or division of a county, were found to approve such a transfer, it might be desirable to take the necessary steps to give effect to their wishes. That question it would be the duty of the Government to decide as soon as they received the answers from the other Boards of Commissioners.