29 Aug. 1801

Polit. Economy

E

9

Method

Finances

Taxation

Foreign capital obtained on loans is doubly useful: at the time of borrowing

/contracting debt/, by diminishing the /that/ consumption of capital, by which

the mass of growing wealth is diminished: at the time of paying off debt, by

diminishing that inordinate encrease of capital, by which as if it were by an

unproductive income tax the income of money'd men is reduced.(a)

Ever since the existence of Government Annuities, men have cried out against the

Annuitants, especially such of them as are foreigners as so many drones and

bloodsuckers: with as much reason might they cry out against the Baker they deal

with as a bloodsucker for taking money for his bread.

The quantity of foreign capital that in an unascertainable but always a very

considerable quantity has always been sent by foreigners for the purchase of

British Government Annuities has been a fruit and evidence of probity and good

faith.

Note

(a) If however the quantity of capital employ'd by foreigners in the purchase of

British Government Annuities has been such as to produce an influx of the

materials of money, and thence of money to such an amount as to overballance the

increase in the same time in the mass of vendible commodities, and thereby to

produce encrease of prices depretiation of money, and indirect income tax, so

much as operates in that character does thereby more harm than good. But without

the addition to money by paper money, addition of this sort would hardly have

taken place.
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  • Title: [14 March 1804. III. 7, 8, 9]
    Description: 14 March 1804.

    III. 7, 8, 9

    K Political Economy - Finance

    1

    1. Financial operations 1. acceleration of increase 2. prevention of decrease.

    p.1.

    2. Cause of decrease - Taxes. p.1.

    3. A tax if it operates directly is a discouragemt to the production of the

    article taxed, an encouragement to rival articles. p.1.

    4. Hence the care taken to tax ourselves rather than foreigners. p.2.

    5. Operations of Finance two. Receipt of Disbursement. p.3.

    6. Disbursement is - 1. at large 2. in discharge of Loan. p.3.

    7. Receipt and expenditure are - 1. of money 2. or articles of service. p.3.

    8. Rule to estimate the eligibility of any measure - Compare the benefit of it

    with the burthen of the tax to raise the money for it. p.3.

    9. Comfort is diminished by taxes in proportion as they are taken from /out of/

    Income.

    10. Future wealth is diminished by taxes in proportion as they are taken from

    capital. p.4.

    11. Taxes therefore diminish /retard/ growing wealth when taken - 1. from

    capital. 2. from income part of which would otherwise have been laid out to be

    employed as capital. p.4.

    12. War taxes are to their amount so much taken from growing wealth, minus the

    profit on the purchased articles. p.5.

    13. By discharge of Debt the Annuitants give up their interest, & the

    community is exonerated from paying it - those who receive it give up nothing in

    return for it. p.{5}/6/.

    14. Encrease of wealth by discharge of debt has been beyond comparison greater

    than by any direct measures. p.6.

    15. Indirect taxes are limited by smuggling, the consequence of the imperfection

    of the laws. p.7.

    16. Taxes on property direct, on consumption indirect. 8.

    17. Taxes on capital are to their whole amount taken from growing wealth - on

    Income to the amount of the saving only. p.8.

    18 Direct taxes are borne unequally

    19. Advantages of obtaining foreign capital in Loans - 1. at borrowing it

    diminishes the consumption of capital. 2. at paying off it diminishes the

    burthen on fixed Incomists. p.9.

    20 With as good reason might men dislogise Bakers, as foreign Annuitants.

    19(c) In so far as the purchase of Annuities by foreigners has been by the

    materials of money it has been mischievous by producing the indirect Income

    Tax.
  • Title: [23 Aug. 1801 Polit. Economy]
    Description: 23 Aug. 1801

    Polit. Economy

    Method

    III. Non Agenda /[...?]/

    2. Encreasing Money

    1

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    {III Non Agenda - Cases in which, and measures by which, the end will not be

    promoted by any interference on th part of Government.

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    real wealth.

    2. Giving birth or encrease to this or that particular branch of wealth, under

    the notion of giving an encrease thereby to the aggregate of the mass of

    wealth.}

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    notion of making an addition thereby to real wealth.

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    less be worth the whole of the real wealth at market. Adding /Introducing/ more

    money into the market does but depretiate /diminish/ the value of the

    pre-existing mass of money - it adds nothing to either quantity or value in the

    way of use, on the part of other things. {What is done by money towards

    producing an encrease of wealth is done only by encreasing the quantity of the

    money employ'd in the shape of capital, at the expense of the money employ'd in

    expenditure of incomes and this encrease of the ratio of capital to income may

    be made to equal amount with the unencreased mass of money as with the same mass

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    because he thereby doubles this share he is able to purchase in that mass, the

    whole of which is equal in value to the whole mass of purchaseable wealth. But

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  • Title: [30 Oct 1801 A Political Economy]
    Description: 30 Oct 1801

    A

    Political Economy

    Method

    3

    {Non-Agenda - I. Broad Measures. I Narrow Measures

    I. Broad Measures- applying to all sources of wealth without distinction

    I. Forced Frugality: Adding to National Capital (real capital) by money raised

    on purpose: which must be by taxes. Of all ineligible measures, this is the

    least ineligible, and most effective. The objection is that it is a defalcation

    from individual property, without necessity.

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    The money produced by taxes (imposed principally on income) is, in the buying in

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    who will employ it in that shape.

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    source of wealth All hands, being employ'd and employ'd in the most advantageous

    manner, wealth could admitt of no further encrease: but money could be

    encreasable ad infinitum.[Marginal note:] ? on Fixed-incomists. III

    Reducing interest: viz: the lawful rate of interest on money borrowed by

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    on those whose source of income arises out of a mass of money lent out at

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    IV. Encreasing Land: viz: by Colonization: eligible when there is a prospect of

    a deficiency of land with reference to population: ineligible in every other

    point of view. The taxes borne by the Mother Country are not diminished by it,

    but encreased. In the British Empire at least it is a principle that all

    expences - establishments civil military, naval - and occasional wars - are to

    be borne by the Mother Country. The capital employ'd in the cultivation of the

    Colonies by the Mother Country, is so much sent out of it without adequate

    return. Bryan Edwards, even in magnifying the utility of colonies, makes the

    rati of profit upon capital so employ'd but 7 per Cent: the common calculation

    gives for profit on capital employ'd within the Mother Country, 15 per Cent.

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