§ MR. LOGAN (Leicester, Harborough)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if his attention has been called to Table 14 of the Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom for 1892, compiled by the Commercial De- 897 partment of the Board of Trade, in which, while the income from land subject to Income Tax is stated to have decreased in England and Wales to the amount of £10,432,645, and in Scotland to the amount of £1,314,854, between the years 1877 and 1891 inclusive, the income from land subject to Income Tax in Ireland has increased by £3,687 during the same period; and whether he can state the class of land to which this increase is due, and say in which portion of Ireland it is situated?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. T. HIBBERT,) OldhamThe Tables to which the hon. Member's question refers show the gross assessments to Income Tax. But, whereas these assessments in Great Britain are based upon rack-rental, in Ireland they are based on Griffith's valuation, which was, on the average, 20 or 25 per cent. below rack-rental. Until the actual rental fails below the valuation the assessment is not changed. Hence, although there may be, and, as a matter of fact, has been, a great fall in the value of laud in Ireland since 1877, the Income Tax assessment in most cases shows no change. The small increase to which the hon. Member refers is believed to be due to an increase of value from the erection of farm buildings, which, for Income Tax purposes, are valued with the land. I have no figures enabling me to fix the situation of such increase.