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A30310
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An essay upon the excising of malt: as also, the present case of tallies consider'd. By A. Burnaby, of the Middle-Temple.
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Burnaby, A. (Anthony)
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1696
(1696)
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Wing B5741; ESTC R213421
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21,674
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87
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the Commodity and thereby in some measure the Maltster will be the better able to judge who is or who is not fit to be trusted with his Commodity And thereby may likewise possibly be avoided the contracting of a great many bad Debts which has been the chiefest Destruction of most Dealers that have fail'd in the World First then That this Tax is Universal The very Name is sufficient to prove it to be of Universal Use in England for every Person knows what use is made of that Grain which is a sufficient Argument for my Purpose therefore I need not trouble my self more on this Head being what proves it self without calling to its Aid the help of either Logick or Rhetorick under one of which most Fallacies are couch'd I will only add That not an Instance can be given of one single Family in England that subsists without the use of that Grain and Custom has so long prevail'd that 't is even Monstrous now to suppose that the Use of this Grain could be laid aside in England on almost any Terms whatsoever Secondly That this Tax is Equal As I said before every Person being charged with the like Sum surely is not sufficient alone to make a Tax equal Therefore this Tax which will effect every Person tho not with the like Sum but proportioned to every Person 's Circumstances is equal As thus viz. Men of great Estates and Figure are for the most part attended with a Family and a numerous Train of all kind of Servants proportionable Men of less Figure with less and so of the meanest Person And this Grain being of Universal Use in this Nation and of absolute Necessity proves plainly that none can escape contributing towards this Tax therefore every Man will stand on an equal foot with his Neighbour and none will have the least cause to Complain or Grumble He that consumes little will have but little to pay And as it is in every Person 's Power to charge himself with this Tax as it pleaseth himself so it is undeniably Equal But there 's a more than common Equality that attends this Tax For every Man is his own Carver consequently every Man taxes himself or rather is a Liberal Contributor without the least Compulsion towards the Defending his Country Liberty and Property from the Ravenous Insults of a Foreign Power Surely I need say no more tho much more might be said to convince all Mankind that nothing can be more equal and am fully satisfied in my own Thoughts at least if the rest of the Common Burthen were so equally disposed as it will be by this Tax there would soon appear in the People of England an Unusual Chearfulness And that mighty Monarch of France seeing such New Veins of vast and durable Treasures open'd at the beginning of the next Session of Parliament 't is more than probable in stead of Taking we might Give a Peace and would soon give him just cause to suspect his imagin'd Greatness But whilst he sees us Irregular in disposing the common Burthen he will be vain enough to think of himself as he has these Eight Years past For he knows too well that War and every Thing else at this time is brought to bear proportion with Money Thirdly The Charge of Collecting it If I should say The Collecting of it would cost nothing I do'nt doubt but I should be thought a Mad-man But since 't is out tho for particular Reasons to my self and with design'd Advantages to His Majesty I had once Thoughts to withhold it I do boldly affirm it shall cost neither His Majesty nor the Subject any thing but shall be an Advantage to both for which purpose I must prove to this Honourable House That the Frauds of Brewers amount to at least 320000 l. per Annum and that this Excising of Malt will prevent those Frauds and I do'nt doubt 320000 l. per Annum will be thought much too great for the Charge of Collecting such a Tax but perhaps 50000 l. per Annum may serve turn considering the Excise-Officers with little Additions may serve both Purposes And also thà t 't is absolutely necessary that both Duties should come under the Consideration of one sort of Managers the which in its proper place I shall endeavour to make more plainly appear But that this Proof which will be long may not too much divert the Reader from the Assertion before-mention'd I shall therefore first come to a Conclusion and afterwards Prove it Tho it be not a proper way of Arguing to come to a Conclusion before Proof yet in regard the Reader may carry all with him it may the better be Excused Admit then that the present Frauds of Brewers do amount to 320000 l. per Annum Admit likewise the Excising of all Malt will prevent those Frauds and also admit that 50000 l. per Annum considering that it will fall under the Consideration of the Excise Officers will answer the Charge of Collecting it Admit likewise that it is of absolute necessity that this and the present Duty of Excise be under the Consideration of one sort of People I say admit all this and then it will appear that this Tax will be Collected not only without Charge but there will also accrew the advantage of 270000 l. per Annum to the King and I say to the Subject too the which when I make it appear that these Frauds are a greater prejudice to the Subject than to the King will be admitted as a sufficient proof also These Frauds of Brewers have been a growing Evil ever since the first Institution of that Tax as appears plainly by the Charging of that Revenue from time to time with Additional Duties which never answer'd the End as the Commissioners of that Revenue can well tell nay so far it has been from answering that when it came to be heavy loaded that is when it came to be almost Charged double the Additional half did not produce a third part which is a plain Demonstration the Evil grew proportionable as the Advantages rose and as it increased gave still greater Encouragements to Frauds which will more evidently appear by the rising and falling of that Revenue according to the several Additional Duties laid on it which will be too tedious to insert here All which was occasioned by means of these Frauds for the Brewers having a double advantage especially at this time the Duty being almost double to what it has been puts them upon all the Contrivances of Frauds imaginable To prove which Assertion it 's but looking back to former years and comparing them with the latter As when the Excise was at 2 s. 6 d. per Barrel Strong and 6 d. per Barrel Small it did amount to about 680334 l. per Annum Now at 4 s. 9 d. per Barrel Strong and 1 s. 3 d. per Barrel Small does amount to about 900000 l. per An. according to the Additional Duty which appears to be almost double
AN ESSAY UPON THE Excising of Malt AS ALSO The Present CASE of TALLIES consider'd By A. BURNABY of the Middle-Temple LONDON Printed for the AUTHOR 1696. AN ESSAY UPON THE Excising of Malt c. THE Gentleman that Wrote an Essay in the year 1695 upon Ways and Means of Supplying the War made the following just Observation That in the Course of this War we are Engaged in with France nothing seems more to hurt our Affairs than an Opinion which from year to year has been entertained among some People of Authority That the War could not last which they were brought into by a Vanity natural to our Nation of over-rating our own Strength and undervaluing that of our Enemies I think 't is now too evident that this Opinion has prevailed to our prejudice otherwise those Expedients of raising of Money by Fonds of Interest had surely not been so often repeated as they have been had we had but the least Apprehension of the Continuance of the War and had not taken up a firm Belief that every year would put an end to it And tho' these former Expedients as the same Author well observes may be proper to answer a short and single Necessity yet perhaps they will hardly appear to be the proper Ways and Means to carry on a Great and Long War Let us therefore but consider our present Circumstances and the many Inconveniencies we have run our selves into by some of the former Ways of Raising Money and we shall soon find them to be the chief Occasion of all our present Wants But perhaps 't is prudence at this time to conceal our Weakness as much as we can and the best way to do it is the application of a speedy Remedy Give me leave to ask a Question What Fond can now be found out that His Majesty can afford to pay 40 l. per Cent. for the advance of Moneys for such is our present Case And 't is much to be suspected if such an Overture were made whether it would be accepted of at this time At first sight it may seem very monstrous That that Government that was supplied the last year and several others before with what Money they pleased at 7 8 and 9 l. per Cent. cannot in all probability be now able to have present Money advanced under 40 l. per Cent. Nay it is much to be feared not on any Terms whatsoever But when we reflect on the Case of those that have already advanced their Moneys on Fonds and have received Tallies for the same then perhaps neither the Question nor Suggestion will appear wholly destitute of Reason if we consider that there has not been one of these Fonds but there has been Tallies from each of them daily chaffer'd away at no less than 30 35 and 40 l. per Cent. nay some have been parted withall at a greater loss I say how then can it be hoped that Money can be advanced on any Fond whatsoever when all Fonds are supposed to be equally secure the only difference being the length of time when the Lenders are to be repaid again unless on the like or greater Advantages And again should the Government make such an Offer which cannot be posed it will it might give the People cause to suspect some mighty deficiency insomuch that there would in all probability be very little advanced if any All this and a great deal more is now too visible the advancing Moneys on Fonds at Interest has brought this Nation to But perhaps I have said too much on this Head already The Cause is also plain we have run the Nation into a great Debt by advancing our Money on Interest meerly upon an Opinion that the War would not last and the publick Faith is now almost exhausted for 't is evident the Expence of a great and long War thus supplied with Money must in process of time be greatly impoverished and like a Ship in a Storm where there is manifest danger tho' all that are in her are Friends and in one common Interest yet every particular Person scruples not to run the hazard of the whole to save himself The Application is plain when the People once apprehend such a Storm in a Government every Man that before was bound in the Common Interest will leave it and look to himself and Family and most certainly the want of Money which now is become almost to bare proportion with every thing nay is almost every thing will bring a People to it if speedy Course be not taken to prevent it As nothing is a greater sign of a Nations poverty than where Usury is predominant so nothing is a surer sign of Destruction if a timely stop be not put to it which is too plain is too much in use in this Nation at this time for as anciently Governments have Consulted their Oracles it 's come to that pass now that scarce the Publick or Private can do any thing without first consulting and having recourse to the Usurer and his Coffers an idle and detestable way of imploying Money to the great prejudice of all Trade and Industry and if this buying and selling of Tallies which is our Usurers present Imployment be not prevented 't is to be feared there will be but very little Money found to Lend the Government and perhaps may do much greater damage then can be at present easily discerned Before I proceed any further I humbly propose that the buying and selling of Tallies be made Usury by Act of Parliament unless it be on the very same Terms the Parties had them from the Government that is that the Sellers shall not dispose of their Tallies for less than they paid the Government for them for 't is not reasonable either to debar the Subjects from disposing of their Rights at pleasure because necessity may oblige them to part with them and intirely to hinder the disposing of them to one another were yet to make them less valuable for that the Property cannot be assigned to answer any Emergency that may possibly happen And unless the Government do raise the Credit of Tallies by preventing them from being subject to such Usurious practice either by this or some other way as in the Wisdom of the Parliament shall seem most meet 't is to be fear'd the Government will not very easily be supplied with present Money Of Assessments or Taxes Surely before any Tax be Levied some Things are to be considered as First Whether it be Universal Secondly Whether Equal Thirdly The Charge of Collecting Fourthly That the Collection be not attended with too much Trouble to those that are the Contributors Fifthly A near Estimate how much 't will raise ought to be known and Sixthly The Time known when the whole Tax shall be brought into the Exchequer I say surely these Things are of absolute necessity to be Considered before any Tax be Levied which seems to me not only to be the true Properties of an Equal and Just Tax