HL Deb 24 May 1842 vol 63 c685
The Duke of Richmond

presented a petition from Ross-shire against the proposed plan of taxing tenants.

Earl Fitzwilliam

said, that this was a petition against the Income-tax. He did not think that the rent a tenant paid was any criterion of his profits, or even of his capital. He would take that opportunity to observe that wages were falling previous to the meeting of Parliament, and before the fanners had any idea that the Government would propose the measures they bad done. The fall was not to be attributed to the change in the Corn-laws, but it arose from the want of a demand for agricultural labour in the manufacturing districts.

Petition laid on the Table.