§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is 805 aware that the Land Tax is now most unequal in its character, ranging from 1d. to 1s. in the £, according to the amount of development that has taken place in the parochial area; and whether, seeing that the said tax only produces throughout Great Britain £710,000 per annum, he can see his way to abolish the tax, with its attendant cost of collection, in consideration of the additional burdens that he is laying on land by the Finance Bill?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEMy right hon. Friend is aware of the fact mentioned in the first part of the question, but he does not see his way to accede to the suggestion in the second part of the hon. Member's question.
§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that certain portions of the Land Tax were sold by the then Government some hundred years ago to private individuals who collect the tax instead of the Government; whether the owner of the land out of which such tax is drawn is deprived of the benefits under the Finance Act of 1896, which reduced the maximum sum chargeable to 1s. in the pound; and whether he will take steps to secure that an owner of an estate should not have to pay Land Tax at a rate which other people are not called upon to pay, merely because without profit or benefit to himself the Government sold the tax many years ago?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEAs regards the first part of the question the answer is in the negative. The second and third parts of the question do not, therefore, arise.