§ SIR E. BUXTONwished to know from the right hon. Baronet the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he could lay before the House an account of the expense of collecting the malt duty, and of the net amount received from it in each of the years ending Jan. 5, 1847, 1848, and 1849? He believed that a very erroneous impression prevailed with respect to the expense of collecting the malt duty. He had seen it stated in one publication that the expense was l,500,000l.
§ The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERsaid, that the expense of collecting the whole excise revenue of the country was 900,000l., as might he seen by referring to the last financial accounts which were laid on the table of the House. It was impossible, therefore, that the expense of collecting one branch of that revenue could amount to 1,500,000l. It was impossible to form a precise estimate of the collection of the malt duty, but he believed it was about 188,000l.—it certainly was under 200,000l. The proceeds from the malt duty in the year 1846 were 5,084,000l.; in 1847, 4,456,000l.; in 1848, 5,224,000l.