§ MR. CREMER (Shoreditch, Haggerston)asked Mr. Chancellor of the Ex- 1086 chequer, If he can explain why the people who keep carriages in Ireland should be exempt from the Carriage Tax; and, whether, in the changes and modifications which he has promised to make in the incidence of the tax, he will levy the impost upon the keepers of such vehicles in all parts of the United Kingdom.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. GOSCHEN) (St. George's, Hanover Square)Yes, Sir; this exemption does exist, and has existed since 1823, when the then tax on carriages in Ireland was repealed, I understand, because it did not pay the cost of collection. In reviewing the taxation of the country since that date, the fact that Ireland does not pay this duty has always been taken into consideration; and it has been felt that its re-imposition in Ireland without some equivalent step in Great Britain would be an unfair addition to the taxation of Ireland.
§ SIR GEORGE CAMPBELL (Kirkcaldy, &c.)hoped the right hon. Gentleman, before bringing in his Budget, would take into consideration similar circumstances with regard to Scotland.