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The Irish Government Bill And The Irish Land Bill
by
Supposing the Bill to have passed, the account of the Exchequer in Ireland would have stood thus:–
RECEIPTS.
1. Imperial Taxes :
(1) Customs . . . . . . . . . . L1,880,000
(2) Excise . . . . . . . . . . 4,300,000
——— L6,180,000
2. Local Taxes :
(1) Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . L600,000
(2) Income-Tax at 6 d. in L . . 550,000
——— L1,150,000
3. Non-Tax Revenue :
(Post Office, Telegraph, etc.) . . . . . L1,020,000
———-
L8,350,000
EXPENDITURE.
1. Contribution to Imperial Exchequer on basis of
1/15th of Imperial Expenditure, viz.:
(1) Debt Charge . . . . . . . . L1,466,000
(2) Army and Navy . . . . . . . 1,666,000
(3) Civil Charges . . . . . . . 110,000
——— L3,242,000
2. Sinking Fund on 1/15th of
Capital of Debt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360,000
3. Charge for Constabulary [1] . . . . . . . 1,000,000
4. Local Civil Charges
other than Constabulary . . . . . . . . . 2,510,000
5. Collection of Revenue :
(1) Imperial Taxes . . . . . . L170,000
(2) Local Taxes . . . . . . . . 60,000
(3) Non-Tax Revenue . . . . . . 604,000
——- 834,000
6. Balance or Surplus . . . . . . . . . . . . 404,000
——–
L8,350,000
The Imperial contribution payable by Ireland to Great Britain cannot be increased for thirty years, though it may be diminished if the charges for the army and navy and Imperial civil expenditure for any year be less than fifteen times the contribution paid by Ireland, in which case 1/15th of the diminution will be deducted from the annual Imperial contribution. Apart from the Imperial charges there are other charges strictly Irish, for the security of the payment of which the Bill provides. This it does by imposing an obligation on the Irish legislative body to enact sufficient taxes to meet such charges, and by directing them to be paid by the Imperial Receiver-General, who is required to keep an imperial and an Irish account, carrying the customs and excise duties, in the first instance, to the imperial account, and the local taxes to the Irish account, transferring to the Irish account the surplus remaining after paying the imperial charges on the imperial account. On this Irish account are charged debts due from the Government of Ireland, pensions, and other sums due to the civil servants, and the salaries of the judges of the supreme courts in Ireland.
Some provisions of importance remain to be noticed. Judges of the superior and county courts in Ireland are to be removable from office only on address to the Crown, presented by both orders of the Legislative body voting separately. Existing Civil servants are retained in their offices at their existing salaries; if the Irish Government desire their retirement, they will be entitled to pensions; on the other hand, if at the end of two years the officers themselves wish to retire, they can do so, and will be entitled to the same pensions as if their office had been abolished. The pensions are payable by the Receiver-General out of the Irish account above mentioned.