Captain FABERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state what is the total sum of the charges falling on the liquor trade in the United Kingdom and United States respectively; and whether he is aware that if the Massachusetts, United States, standard of taxation were applied to this country the direct taxation on liquor would fall from 38 millions to 34 millions per year?
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEThe receipts from the spirit, beer, and wine duties, and from licence duties in the United Kingdom in 1908–9, were as follows:—
I regret that I am unable to give the corresponding information for the United States generally, or the State of Massachusetts in particular.
£ Spirit duty (Customs and Excise) 21,386,000 Beer duty (Customs and Excise 12,723,000 Wine duty (Customs) 1,120,000 Licence duties (Excise) 2,204,000 £37,433,000
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEI never said the duty upon excisable liquors was inadequate. What I said was that the licence duties were ludicrously inadequate, which is a totally different proposition.
Captain FABERCan the right hon. Gentleman differentiate between the whole tax on liquor, taking one at a time? Ought not he to have taken them all together when he said it was ludicrously inadequate?
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGEI can certainly differentiate, but not across the floor of the House by question and answer. That is a matter for debate.