14
Mr Duddell, the next on the list, is simply speculation, although he denies the fact in his letter to the Committee; and his mode of reference to manner in which preceding will be understood, on Paragraph 9, showing that he purchased Mr Shelley's ground : this is also particularly referred to in Mr May's Report. The above 20 Firms pay annually £5,747, of which that portion occupied by themselves and let to Foreigners pays £4,914, leaving a Balance of £833 to be paid by 93 Foreigners owning 171 lots of land which are occupied by Foreigners.
15. This is all the information that I have to offer on the subject. The conclusion I have come to is, that Foreigners in Hongkong, although they undoubtedly pay a very large sum for their land, are not overtaxed, nor taxed higher than British Subjects elsewhere. It is a self-imposed tax also, and (save the Police Rate), the only one they pay. Its collection is easy and costs but little, and if the rates be materially reduced, recourse must be had to other means of upholding the revenue of the Colony. This can only be done by the imposition of taxes on minor articles of consumption, which will be both expensive and troublesome in realizing, and will subject the inhabitants to much inconvenience and generally to objectionable supervision, from which they at present are entirely free.
14. I think it likely, however, at no distant period that some of the 20 Firms above mentioned may probably re-establish themselves; but in that case their removal will not be in consequence of the Land tax that they pay, but because they find maintaining separate establishment in this Colony does not compensate in any way for the expense it entails. With the exception of the trade