MONEYLENDERS (EXCISE). (Hansard, 16 March 1927)

HC Deb 16 March 1927 vol 203 cc2164-6 2164

§ "That on and after the first day of January, nineteen hundred and twenty-eight, there shall be charged on a licence to be taken out annually by a moneylender in Great Britain an Excise Duty of fifteen pounds or, if the licence be taken out not, more than six months before the expiration thereof, of ten pounds."

§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House Cloth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution."

§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY
May I at this stage ask the hon. and gallant Gentleman who represents the Home Office what is the position of the Home Office in regard to this question. 2165 I think some explanation is needed as to why this extra amount should be imposed. The present registration fee, I think, is £1, and it was a great jump to go from £1 to £15. I am not going to go over the position with regard to moneylenders, because that was fully explored when the Bill received a Second Reading. The spokesman for the Bill in that Debate made no reference to pawn brokers at all.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
The Bill did net refer to pawnbrokers, but to moneylenders.

§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY
It applies to pawnbrokers as well.

§ Mr. WELLS
It only applies to the pawnbroker if he takes out a moneylender's licence.

§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY
In any ease, it will have this effect, that you will have people acting as moneylenders and not being registered at all. That will be the effect of this sudden increase of the fee from £1 to £15. You will simply drive people into illegal courses. I do not propose to press this matter, but I have made this protest, and I would like to hear what the hon. and gallant Gentleman opposite has to say.

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§ Mr. WOMERSLEY
I would like you, Mr. Speaker to inform me, what the position will be if an Amendment be moved in Committee to reduce this amount.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
An Amendment can be moved in Committee to reduce the amount, but no Amendment could be introduced in Committee that would increase the amount.

§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Captain Hacking)
I may say that this Resolution does not affect the position of the pawnbroker. The pawnbroker's licence is £7 10s., and this increases the moneylender's licence to £15. The fact that we are passing this Financial Resolution to-night will not affect the position of the pawnbroker qua pawnbroker one iota.

§ Question, "That this House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution," put, and agreed to.

§ The remaining Orders were read, and postponed.