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Therefore, to make a fair comparison, ~ include the municipal revenues of the ingdom. These (excluding loans and ne from general revenue) appear, from of the "Statesman's Year-Book," to be 0,000,000, making our total revenue 200 (instead of £86,000,000). Thus

h taxpayer, out of every pound of ontributes to the Army and Navy interest on National Debt) 4s 3d.

78.

other hand, taking the last two years, d excluding the special expenditure on efences, which has amounted altogether 0, Hong Kong spent on an average as ntribution $126,500 out of a revenue p00, ie., at about the rate of 1s. 10d. hd.

he charge per head of the population-- to the census of 1881-Hong Kong 160,000 people, and in 1987 the population was under 186,000.

this last figure the charge per head =28, 8d.

comparing charges per head, the overty of the inhabitants has to be This cannot be directly estimated. be noticed that of the above 186,000 00 are Chinese, many of them exceed-

of whom 30,000 live in boats.

hancellor of the Exchequer says that ate Hong Kong taxpayer "pays no ities, no excise duties, no income tax." ards the first, Hong Kong is, and been, a free port. To this fact it owes prosperity in comparison with other introduce customs duties would destroy erity and upset the whole course of de with the East. Such a proposal trenuously resisted by the whole mer-

shipping interests of this country.

t strictly accurate to say that no excise vied, when there is an item of $244,000 nial revenues on account of spirits and gain, it is inaccurate to say that the g traders do not contribute to the

r. They, on the contrary, contribute

" For instance the Indo-China Steam

ys (Imperial) Income Tax on the whole Barnings, not one penny of which is в country.

anches in London of local banks, ompanies, mercantile houses, &c., pay Income Tax on all profits attaching nches or agencies, and all dividende e Colony and paid here have again to Tax. Indeed, all profits made in the paid in this country contribute to the enue through the Income Tax, and it > to carry on the financial operations, ans, and other business of magnitude, rolled in or from the Colony, without tion in England in the shape of Stamp in other ways,

PUBLIC RECORD.OFFICE

Reference :-

TELCO.537

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC

RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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Probate Duty, again, is paid to the Treasury

on the estates of British subjects who die in England possessed of assets in the Colony, not to mention their landed estates in this country paid for by their earnings in the Colony.,

Lastly, the memorandum in suggesting that the colony should pay half the cost of the troops, omits to notice the rate per head which would thereby be thrown on the colonial taxpayer. Half the cost would mean, £140,000 or (taking the dollar for the moment at 38. 4d.) $810,000 out of a revenue of $1,400,000, ie, 128, in the pound as against 48. 3d. in the pound paid in this country.

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Again, the charge of £140,000, would, taking the population at 186,000, amount to., 158. per head as against 168. in this country, and to propose an increase of taxation to make up the difference between, 23. 8d.. and 15 per head is manifestly out of the question, especially when we bear in mind that the bulk of the population consists of poor Chinese.

To get the additional £20,000 recommended by the Committee representing the Treasury, War Office and Colonial Office will involve some considerable increase of the present taxation.

COLONIAL OFFICE, &. ..:52

December 19th, 1888.

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