TAXATION, PROTECTION AND DEMOCRACY IN AUSTRALIA.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 47, 25 November 1867, Page 289

TAXATION, PROTECTION AND DEMOCRACY IN AUSTRALIA.

0 .’(From the Edinburgh Scotsman!-)' 1 <«s.'v.' • : If, it ieustiU permitted in/political matters to/regard llie'/end /as - well /as some .useful and' uripleasanyiesspns 'Jmay oftenlbe learned from. some of our democratic, polonies—to ; say - nothing of the United States. It is better to say nothing of, the United States—for, though the 'rei suits of democracy there have, certainly rif>r been either ‘ economy,-free trade, oi* any of 'the other objects /winch the ultrademocraiic party in this country-rightly enough desire,, yet that ‘ party, somehow, will listen to, nothing but laudation of the States, or, indeed, of any country but their own,;. There is sortie chance, however, of better, audience being given‘to any story of .error, or.failure regarding our . colohids:, which, beirgdn degree part’ of,' our-. selves, are, in that, degree liable to the same condemnation Which of/ us,’ , have always ready for oursplresv 'What'we'want

attention.. to ; at-present is the'fact, again illustrated and . enlarged ’ by the" 'news ' of last,mail, that., in' the 'great colony of 'Victoria, where universal fsuffrage reigiis,,. the results,are j.ust.the opposite of all, that Mr. Bright, for Vinstahcei, Has laboured'for— protected, interests, arid taxesj enormous in amount' and oppressive in incidence, all beyond .anything eyer seen .or suffered at home. . V . The year’s budget, comprising, a' new 1 or increased .tariff and various chariges in 1 taxation, had been made, public shortly before .the; tttftfl. left m fehe end of Eebmary./ Let us .see how much, and in what form, the Victorians are/paying foir their^gtiyernment—ralsoiiow much'they are cheating themselves out . of'for “.pro-- 1 tection.”; ; The Government, expeuditiire for .the i colony in. the, proyip us year, had been;£3,321,V79. f ; The ; population of the colony, last yearly; census was 604,858. The taxation in Victoria, per .hc»d^j^Bo^latipn—man, .yeoman, ’ and childMtstnerefore. £o” ffighnijidry ■ stand, fully wh&tv that. means, ; .ut. is.’ convenient; to .comparison, jwiithY. the population aridexpenditureof the United Kingdom. Our population last census.was 28,927,082,;f0rty-eight times that of .Victoria; our expenditure last year. was £66.780.000,: or twenty-times that of. Victorian In other words, the total weight of taxation,,in.Victoria is much -more, than double what it „is in. Great,/Britain, and Ireland. . ] More precisely, while the amount it is in this' country, £2 65. ; ‘Each person in, this country pays bn an average £3~3s. 'Bd. less, than ;if/lie,, lived in Victoria-each family £ls/i,Bs; ,4d./lesß., This;Vis, a . fact which, is considerable, ppough';tbjße wprth looting at.-; .^L.nd ; yet ( 'tHes"e figuifeSjljp not show the whple . We must remember that, among ,the., other : great which Victoria enjoys as beipg in all senses aiew cotmtrjrasj :that she has no to which, let it' she ’ 'dqgsV: Blipport, because she does, not Ynee J dj : ad arihy of a navy. ;The • Natipnal ‘ tteht Gfeat Britain, wasVnot incurred .by 1 tlie, : pfesent generation . of .Britons,any ~ihdre.; than Victoriansf-it was?, inciirfed ,by' the mon ancestors .of’ .bdt]i,y.and every halfpenny of it. before yictoria"was born. Our debt last. year us , £26,233,227,; or 'IBB. Id. per. hejul pf ; the population.; Less , the cost of .debt, our.pxpenditufejasfc.year • was £5.95. lOd. inyfotom- frpm.: our expenditure: thpphafges £or‘army ,arid ! navy as wellas’for'■'apb ) ’ all .those expenses t to yhiciiaetuklly’-and jri the. nature’of; things t the IhiptUer cpuntryis, and* the * cplphyj ismot, .liable, ~we,‘haye. the fairest" and V the 'res.ult,lsf43nt^tgxa|ip.nv£ji.^ i ipid.,perjiioad; baxjufcibn,. £3,‘321, V6y|!£s,; ; 9s.. r lOdi7.Poy^he*d, wh icli, 'we;‘lfe^,liable/ • ajpci"ff pin colonists'.axe t the go yer rimentf a^e‘in ratio h'.b-rigr-I'Hv . ;auch ,are/the -amount propor-one-thhd^pf taxes.upon but /tSfatlheeMs ?'mah^iy^ I (wingytpr?tfids.e ; mass’ ofs|kxabbd

fglbyeis; hats/naps; add; Iho.nHetsJVeOTthbn'jvai’J; Hay. itirbA'bu|fpb3sl.'tKatV aft^r .those'taxes/’are/lefie’d;; the!commoV ‘ditihS/stili; .^Sidbn^/^l^pei 1 ' aro’somewhat 1 cheaper than at; ; bpnde j/; brehd' just ; aboht' the/same every thingelse seems .much dear^-/^V ; ham;Als per'lb ; ; butter, Is sd';’ cheese,'ls B.d?i| eggs, ls/lld per dOzeii, arid' so 'bn; / The general result is, taxation v in v Yictpria proceeds ;to a' of a poll-tmcj much per! head/, Without regiird, 1 to 1 tlie : very, different payabilities of r iill men must of neepskity m l bat; ? and wear' shirts : and; trouseW,’,' iirid sp % ! hlL 1 men; rich and poor, arAunder taxed Ipretty; much/alike. , This/seeins a ; strange /result' 1 Hri/a cduntryVwhhce' the;! poorest man.has a yoioe in' the State eqiu&lljr with ‘the/'ricHe'sjbprthe/fear, tiot., ( wuh f dht; warrant'and' precedent, having hiWays Bdeii 1 that' a ’democracy 'would lav undue bur-? dens on /the rich, and on accumulated.property, And give undue: eiemption' to th'e : mass of the people/'' ;Biit there is in ,the case of Victoria an explanation which makes' the matter wPrse. / ;! '' 1 V:

It is the fallacy of ** protection ” Which' leads, tlie demberaey of Yictbria 1 to; taxes, upon 5 , the/ nec'essaries'.pf life. They.' tax everything that, an ittdustripiis ' man 1 most absdlutely ueedAfor shelter 'and Tor 1 food; and dream'that, they are “ protecting’ |rative^inqultry/’ 1^ I lt : 'is native industry that payV alLthp taxes—yet it is a dream" that, in nobody ban" explain/ 'Wpls;' riatiye ’ Eirst/all* sorts! o£ fian'dicra^’smeh^at'Melbourne required" lo be their brethren at! London and/GlasgoW,” who sent otit rea3y- t made afticieis ; then/some. hypothetical/or 1 prbspectiyA 'ihaniifabturers in the r colotiy r required prbtßhtibn against all sorts bf ’tex- 7 tilos ; la’nd'VnbW—for that is’the grand? febture/ih' tiiis’ iyepr’s budget-/-thh people 1 wlid'groWf grainy cattle, and sheep, have/ asked 'afe getting protection also! is I ‘/protected.; ” but .Who; is t J i3 : , easy to ; se.e’ Who is • poorer/ can toll : us who r: is ? richer; VTfibse. articles on which protective' - duties have- btjehlaid'were product nfore? clieuyiy but of thebolbhyj just becAush thb . capital, and .labour of the colony; found - more 'remunerative employment In the prbductionrbf other articles. If tlie duties/! therefore/ have’ : hiiy. Commercial; effect - be-’ ydnd naakirigVthA colonists pay’/nbre than the valiie/forbverything 1 they'oonsunie,- it holding imt ’artifi'eial lures' to the J eapitar .and labßut* :.of the Colony to 'l’eAve ■ employments; WhiehiVawjhaturairy'remune/ rative for those which are naturally r unre-;‘ munerative! ; But! Such 'duties/ 1 ; so • far'”as J their operation'is protective! have-also' a financial effect—we have seen the enormous ’ sum the Victorians pay toO the colonial: treasury from duties’on aTficles brought into the colony • ; But . we; -cahnbf see how*; mudh*;more , they . pay/ f to’' .the/boioinal 1 ' “interests,” in the/clinsequent Enhance-' ment of price ’ on 1 whatever /quantities bf - the same articles are produced 1 vrithin' thb ’ colony# V,'./ 1 pje.vortih-iiA