Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	pound_n	value_n	yearly_a	1,858	5	10.5680	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56013	Proposal for an equal land-tax humbly submitted for consideration.		1691 (1691)	Wing P3691; ESTC R39721	8,829	18

A PROPOSAL FOR AN Equal Land-Tax Humbly submitted to CONSIDERATION LONDON Printed in the Year 1691. A PROPOSAL FOR AN Equal Land-Tax c. THere is a great and urgent necessity at present of raising great Summes of Money To which the Common People of England we may safely presume would willingly contribute their utmost and matters might be so order'd that their Assistance would be very considerable But some would have the Gentry take the whole Burden upon themselves and a few others and would have this Money raised by a Land-Tax which way will very probably be followed Here it is confess 't that though this Tax prove heavy yet upon this great Occasion it would be born with Cheerfulness if it were made equal But the monstrous inequality of it as the Rates are now is more grievous then the Tax it self What can be a greater heart-breaking then to pay double and treble in proportion to other people And many a poor Gentleman must be ruin'd if these Rates continue A Remedy for this Evil hath been nobly attempted already in Parliament by bringing the Payments to a Pound Rate And surely it cannot be denyed but that the Taxes of two Shillings in the Pound and three Shillings in the Pound were the fairest that ever were granted Nor hath there been any thing done in England more becoming a Parliament But that which was well designed was so villanously executed I mean in the Assessing that even those Taxes proved shamefully unequal So that notwithstanding all the Care that was taken some Men payd double and treble to others Not that much Land was Assess't above the true value for That is not complain'd of but while some were Assess't to the full others were Assess't at the half or third part by which means they that were Assess'd to the full payd double or Treble For Example If there be three Farms of equal value that is each of them worth threescore pound a year and one of these is duely Rated at threescore Pound the second unduely at thirty and the third at twenty in this case the first payes double to the second and treble to the third You will say that to rectify this matter we must raise all those that are under-rated and thereby have all Lands Assessed at their just and full value In answer whereunto I confess that if this thing were done we might easily have equal Taxes whether they were laid by the Pound Rate or by a Summe certain upon each County But all the Skill and all the difficulty is to get this thing done The ordinary Assessors will never do it for Experience hath taught us that Men will strangely swear and forswear to save themselves and their Neighbours from being screwed up And it hath been proposed already to take a more effectual course by rewarding Informers but that way doth not please Some would have a Tax by the Pound Rate and the King to name the Commissioners but I doubt it will not be convenient for his Majesty or Men deputed by him to have any hand in screwing up people Others would have such a Tax farm'd out and the Farmers to try their Skill but a Tax fit to be farmed out should be of some continuance whereas this must be paid at once or within a short time beside these Farmers and these Commissioners must do their work by the help of Informers who as I have said before are not pleasing Moreover go which way you will this raising and Screwing of people is a harsh and odious business and goes against the haire so that it will be found extremely difficult But the design of the Proposal here offer'd is not to raise any body but only to ease those that are overcharged and that pay above their proportion Which is a thing so equitable and so favourable that there is good reason to hope that no Man will be so inhumane to oppose it Considering withall that none are to have this Easement unless they make their case so plain that no doubt can be made of it The Proposall hath been briefly mention'd already in the Project of a Descent upon France and more at large it is this 1. That a Land-Tax be granted the same with that which was granted this last year the Amount whereof is we know about seventeen hundred thousand pounds And that the same proportions be laid upon the several Counties and upon each particular Man 2. Provided nevertheless that no Man be obliged to pay above two Shillings in the Pound of the true and full yearly value of his Land 3. That in order hereunto all persons aggrieved that is all that are to pay above that proportion may complain to such Commissioners as the Parliament shall please to nominate for each County 4. That these Commissioners upon cleere proofs in writing of the true value of the Land shall make just Abatements and shall settle the Complainants Tax at the said proportion of two Shillings in the Pound 5. That the Commissioners cause all these Depositions and their Orders upon them to be fairely transcribed into a Booke and so transmit them to the Committee which the Parliament shall please to appoint for this Service 6. That this Committee of Parliament shall inspect the said Depositions and Orders and shall disallow the Orders if the Evidence seem not cleere or alter them as they see Cause 7. All Orders and Abatements made by the Commissioners to stand good unless and untill they are disallowed by the Committee of Parliament 8. No proof to be admitted but by written Depositions Even the Quality and Credit of the Witnesses if there be occasion for it to be proved in writing Thus I have layd open the whole designe which aimes at nothing but to relieve the Oppressed Here will be good store of Informers but of all that ever were they will be the most innocent for every Man must Informe for himselfe And he may easily do it with effect For there is nothing more easie then for any Man to shew plainly the true value of his Land If the Land be Lett or have been lately at a Rack Rent 't is easy to shew what that Rent is or was And the Tenants own Oath will be good Evidence if he can also sweare that the whole Tax must be allowed by the Landlord which the Law directs if there be no Covenants to the contrary Also the same thing may be proved by the Landlords Steward or Bailiff or any Servant that knowes If the Land be Lett for Lives or Years and at an under Rent it may be shewed what the Rent is and likewise what Fine was payd and for what terme But if the Land be a Man 's owne and was never Lett there must be more adoe though even then the thing will not be greatly difficult It will give a great light if a Surveyour swear to the Quantity Shewing also how much of it is Common Field and how much Inclosure likewise how much is

Meadow Arable Pasture and Wood. Then others must prove the common rate of those sorts of Land in that place and Neighbourhood And substantial Neighbours may make Oath what they believe and judge to be the true value of the particular Land in question Also the Party may shew at what rate he bought the Land if he hath lately bought it or at what rate he hath offer'd it to be Lett or Sold. In short there are many wayes to make out a thing of this nature if it be true But to palliate a false value is very difficult so as to give cleer and full Satisfaction without winch there must no relief be expected by the Complainants I must now answer a Question concerning this Matter and likewise two Objections The Question that may be ask'd is this What is the meaning of this Committee of Parliament which according to these Proposalls must controll the Commissioners of the Counties And I answer that the meaning is that the Commissioners may take greater Care to do equall and righteous things when they find that their Proceedings must be seen and examin'd by others Whereas they would be apt to take too much Liberty if it should be only known to themselves what Methods they follow and upon what Grounds they go But yet in all likelihood the Committee will not much alter what the Comissioners have done The first of the Objections is That the thing here proposed is exceeding laborious I answer That the bringing Taxes to an equality is so glorious an Atchievement that we ought to spare for no pains to Compass it Nor is it only noble and beneficial but also of absolute necessity If the equall dividing the common Booty be necessary to Pirates and Buccaneers the equall distribution of the Publick Burdens is much more to a State Saith a late Author But moreover as this Work is great so there will be many Hands to do it The Country Commissioners will divide themselves as they use to do in the case of Assessments And the Committee of Parliament which will be numerous will name several Sub-Committees out of their own number and share the Work to them who amongst them must peruse the Bookes sent from the Counties and report to the whole Committee what they disallow and what they doubt of The transcribing the Depositions into these Books may seem a tedious business and of too much time But even here so many hands may be employ'd as will make quick work For several Men may be at the same time transcribing upon loose Sheets and then those Sheets be made up in a Booke Indeed there should be two Bookes one to be sent to the Parliament the other to be kept in the County All this Writing to be paid for by those for whose benefit it is done according to the length of the Depositions that concern them And 't is much if it cost any Man five Shillings The second Objection is That by these Abatements according to the Proposals here offer'd the Tax will fall short In answer to which I must acknowledge that the Tax will fall short at least half a Million But if the Publick Occasions require it this may and must be made good by a farther Tax which by this time will be pretty equall And surely it is much fitter that the whole Nation should bear this further Burden by an equall Tax then that part of the Nation should beare it by having the Inequality continued upon them and by paying above their proportion It is confess 't that when all is done that hath been here proposed there will still remain some Inequality For as the Rates are now there are many that to the last great Tax pay under two Shillings in the Pound And there is nothing here offer'd to raise them We must therefore be content at least at present to let them enjoy this advantage Let them pay twenty pence or eighteen pence or less while others pay two Shillings But that some should pay but twenty pence or eighteen pence while others pay four five or six Shillings or more so that some are at ease while others are destroyed is too unreasonable and ought to be endured no longer You will aske What Injury is it to me if my Neighbour be eased I answer the Injury is that I am not eased too And if He pay below his proportion I must pay above mine And by the undue Easing of Him and others the Tax falls short of what it would otherwise be so that the Publick Occasions call for further Taxes of which I shall beare part and still above my proportion If some Part-Owners should pay less in proportion then Others toward the Ships Charge it would be a plain Wrong to those Others And so it would be if some Lands in a Marsh should for maintaining the Sea Walls pay but six pence an Acre when other Lands pay twelve pence It hath been said that though a Tax were laid as hath been here proposed yet there would be still some Inequality But the next Tax after might bring things more even For it might be granted for the same gross Summe with this Proviso that none pay above one Shilling in the Pound with the same Methods for giving ease And this Tax would make good what the other falls short For both these Taxes will amount to three Shillings in the Pound which is very neere the true proportion that all Lands should pay to the Tax now on foot Thus by the way that hath been here propos'd there must be two Steps to arrive at the Reformation intended But I conceive upon further consideration that the thing may be done at once and that the first new Tax may be at the former Rates Provided that none pay above one Shilling in the Pound Which will be the same thing in effect as a Tax of twelve pence in the Pound with a new and sure Method to have it equally Assessed This Tax may by the good old word be called a Subsidy And the Parliament now and at other times may please to grant either one Subsidy or part of one or a Subsidy and a half or two or three Subsidies or more according as the Publique Occasions require But still after all hath been done the Taxes will not yet be exactly equall For there are divers as I am well inform'd that do not pay six pence a Pound to the great Tax now upon us I leave these to be further consider'd And in the mean time though they do not pay to the full yet they will pay three times as much in proportion as they did formerly I have all this while been driving at Equality But there is an Equality so unequal that I cannot but declare my sense against it and That is that Houses should beare equall proportion with Lands for which there is no reason as every Mans reason will tell him They ought therefore to be abated a fourth or a fifth part If the Parliament shall not