§ MR. DODSONsaid, he would beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, What loss he estimates would ensue to the Revenue of the financial year 1861–2 if the Duties on Sugar were renewed, from the 1st of July next, at the rates at which they stood in September, 1854, under the Act of the 17 & 18 Vict. c. 29, instead of at the rates at which they now stand; and whether he will state at what amount he estimates the Revenue to be derived from the Excise Duty on the growing crop of Hops and from the Customs' Duty upon Hops in the current financial year?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I hope my hon. Friend will not think it any want of courtesy on my part if I state, in answering questions of so unusual a description, that it is not the ordinary practice, unless in the ease of articles of a very peculiar nature, for the House to desire to be informed of the estimated amount of revenue that each taxable article will yield during the year, and a good deal of inconvenience would result from any change of practice in that respect. I will only say that the estimate for hops is taken, as in Customs and Excise generally, upon the supposition of a moderate crop, not on the supposition of a total failure like last year. With respect to the loss that would ensue from a reduction of the duty on sugar from the 1st of July next, I do not like to give an estimate for that, because it would imply that the Government had proposed such a measure. But, most certainly, if they had proposed any measure relating to the duties on sugar, it would not have been a reduction of duty to take effect on the 1st of July, Generally speaking, without pretending to give any minute calculations, I may state that the loss would be from £1,000,000 to £1,250,000 for the first financial year in which the reduction might take place.