§ Mr. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)To ask the Secretary of State for India if he will state the amount derived from the house tax levied on every villager in Bengal, and known as the Chowkidari Tax; and whether, in view of its incidence, he will ask the Government of India to consider whether arrangements can be made for its remission.
§ (Answered by Secretary Lord George Hamilton.) The aggregate amount of the rate levied for the remuneration of village watchmen in Bengal cannot be exactly stated, as the money does not pass through the public accounts. The rate is assessed according to the circumstances of the persons liable, but no assessment may exceed one rupee a month, and the poor are altogether exempt. The tax is not oppressive nor unfair in its incidence, and represents an ancient and well recognised obligation. It is not proposed to remit it.