§ 40. Sir L. Plummerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Charter granted by Queen Charlotte of England to the indigenous Carib population of Dominica, British West Indies, exempting them from taxation, is still in force.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI have been unable to trace the charter to which the hon. Member refers. A Commission of Inquiry into conditions in the Carib Reserve (Cmd. 3990 of 1932) found no evidence of Carib immunity from taxation.
§ Sir L. PlummerIs the Colonial Secretary aware that a Colonial Office publication in 1902 said that the Caribs were exempt from taxation? Is he aware that the Caribs themselves believe that they have this exemption through a charter and further believe that they suffer so much unemployment, undernourishment and lack of roads because they do not pay tax?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThis matter was exhaustively considered at the time of the first Labour Government in the United Kingdom, and the clear conclusion was that they were not immune from that taxation. I sympathise with their desire, but I am afraid that I can find no justification for their claim.