date

1820 Decr. 26 The most manifestly
1820 Decr. 26

The most manifestly oppressive and thence the most assuredly and

extensively odious mode of restraint that can be applied to the inhabitants of one

country under the notion of benefiting the inhabitants of another is that which is

imposed by a prohibition inhibiting in this the subject country the production of one

article of natural growth produced in the ruling country, inhibiting it for the sake

of the extra profit thus expected to be put into the pockets of the allowed

producers. In this case while on the one part the burthen is seen to be enormous, or

the other it is seen to be at best comparatively small, and generally /commonly/ even

to any amount questionable.

Take for example the case of the prohibition, inhibiting the people of Ultramaria

from the cultivation of the vine. In this case the burthens to the people of

Ultramaria are most galling and oppressive and galling in the extreme: the benefit to

the producers in Spain of the produce exported to and imported into Ultramaria

comparatively minute and even questionable. Of the commodity which they might have

produced almost without expence each man from his own garden to the one house the

price was augmented necessarily by enormously distant freight and mercantile profit,

actually by this with the addition of taxes imposed either on the exportation of it

from Spain or on the importation of it into Ultramaria. Here the pressure /suffering/

is produced by the joint operation of the unjust favour to a portion of the subject

many in Spain and the injust favour to the whole population of Spain by the tax the

produce of which is employed in the diminution of this burthen imposed upon them: the

favour /benefit on this/ is not afforded but at the expence of a greatly preponderant

burthen (to others) the tax is not imposed but at a rate of expence of collection

such taht in comparison to it the expence of all collection in the case of any other

tax shrinks into insignificance.
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  • Title: [1820 Dec 26 Rid Yourselves]
    Description: 1820 Dec 26

    Rid Yourselves

    '. 1. Creoles willing

    As in this case it is manifest to all eyes that while Ultramarians in

    general are subject to /suffer from/ the burthen, Spaniards in general do not enjoy

    the benefit, the consequence is that in so far as restraint in any such unproductive

    shape as this is imposed on Ultramrians, it is for the purpose of conferring the

    corespondent benefit - not on Spaniards /the Spanish people/ at large, but in a

    particular part only of the Spanish people, and that a comparatively very small one:

    namely that part which it is supposed while be received in the shape of profit of

    trade by the producers or vendors of such goods.

    But in this case the proportion of the benefit to the burthen is as nothing,

    compared with what it is in the case of a burthen to the same amount imposed by a

    tax. Suppose for example the price of those commodities exactly doubled in both cases

    to the consumers in Ultramaria: in the case of the tax, the whole value of the goods,

    of the deduction of the expence of collection goes into the pocket of government in

    Spain, saving to the people in Spain taxes to that same amount in the case of the

    prohibition, not a maravedi goes into the pocket of government from this source. The

    pockets - the only pockets into which the whole or any part of it is so much as

    expected to do are those of the Spanish producers or those of the Spanish vendors, of

    such goods.
  • Title: [1820 Decr. 26 Go on a little further]
    Description: 1820 Decr. 26

    Go on a little further

    Supposed resource the (...?) th. Taxes /the amount conveyed to Spain/ on the produce

    of Ultramaria exported to countries other than Spain. To Ultramaria in so far

    applicable this is beyond doubt of all modes of extracting money from Ultramaria for

    the benefit of Spain the least burthensome to Ultramaria. The only person, on whom,

    in a direct and immediate way, burthen in any shape is imposed, are the foreigners by

    whom the exported goods thus taxed are consumed. If indeed by the augmentation,

    encrease given to the price, the quantity tus consumed by foreigners is diminished,

    to the extent of such diminution the tax operates in so far as prohibition imposed

    upon the production of the articles thus taxes. But by the prohibition thus imposed

    on the produce of this one article, neither prohibition nor tax is imposed upon any

    other article not necessary to the production of it: whatever quantity of captial

    would, but for the indirect and immediate prohibition have been employed in the

    production of the article thus indirectly and immediately prohibited, is left free to

    be employed in all other articles to which the prohibition does not extend. If indeed

    there be no such other article to which the capital could be so applied without a

    certain diminution of the rate of profit, say for example 5 per cent, on this

    supposition a tax to that amount is imposed upon all those who but for the

    prohibition would have employed that capital in the production of articles of that

    same sort. But the existence of any such state of things the existence or not upon

    the face of it to such a degree assured /probable/ as to be admitted without special

    proof applied to this or that species of article in particular: and till in the

    instance of some determinate species of commodity such proof is made the mode of

    taxation in question will continue in possession of the character of being as far as

    it goes, as burthensome to the inhabitnts of the country in which the article is

    produced.
  • Title: [1820 Decr. 26 Insurendumne?]
    Description: 1820 Decr. 26

    Insurendumne?

    Here or before

    Taxes imposed /A Tax exacted/ on Ultramarian goods produced in and exported from

    Ultramaria /and received in Spain/, the produce is extracted either from the people

    of Spain or from the people of countries foreign to Spain : in so far as those

    foreigners are the consumers of the article it is on them that the burthen of the tax

    falls: /his/ /the immediate burthen at least/ in so far as the people of Spain are

    the consumers of the article, it is on them that the burthen of the tax lies.