§ SIR H. DRUMMOND WOLFFasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether, inasmuch as the duties on tobacco, amounting in some cases to twelve and fourteen times the value of the article, and forming the principal item in the duties on imports, press chiefly on the working classes, Her Majesty's Government will consider the expediency of diminishing such duties, and compensating the revenue by transferring the difference to French wines, Articles de Paris, silks, gloves, and other similar imports consumed by classes better able to pay for luxuries?
MR. GLADSTONEWith regard to this Question, there is no doubt that the duties on tobacco are extremely high, and they have long been felt to be very high by the labouring population of this country especially. They were somewhat raised during the time of the late Government. The hon. Member asks whether I would
consider the expediency of diminishing such duties, and compensating the revenue by transferring the difference to French wines, Articles de Paris, silks, gloves, and other similar imports consumed by classes better able to pay for luxuries?I am afraid that it would be entirely impossible to raise on articles of that description any such amount of duty as would fill up the void that would be caused in the Revenue by such a reduction of the tobacco duties as must be made, if any reduction is to be made at all, with a hope of acting sensibly on the consumption. There is no argument in the abstract stronger than that for taxing articles of luxury; but there is no argument more apt to break down when it comes to be applied. I fear the attempt to lay increased duties on articles of luxury imported from France, whatever abstract reasons may be given for it, would lead to a revival of that dreadful system of smuggling which was almost universal in my youthful days, but is now happily extinguished.