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8.
Appendix
"B"
and fourpence three-farthings in the pound.
The sterling salaried officers annexed to their petition
to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in May, 1931, a table
showing average, highest and lowest rates in County Boroughs, Boroughs, Metropolitan Boroughs and Urban District Councils in
England. Your Present Petitioners have no reason to believe that
there has been since that date any substantial variation of these
rates and they accordingly attach to this Petition a copy of that
table.
It is noteworthy that there is no place enjoying a freedom
from rates anything like comparable with that of Hong Kong and
that the rates payable in this Colony are, despite total freedom
from Income Tax, less than one half of those payable in the most
lowly rated Borough or Urban District in England.
Your Petitioners are unable to state what rates are levied in
the generality of the villages of England, but a signatory to
this Petition vouches from personal knowledge that in a village
in one of the western counties, situated six miles from the
County town, in a locality a mile from the nearest railway and
the same distance from any bus service, the rates are nine shill-
ings in the pound (equivalent to 45 per cent) and in the village
in question there is no electricity or gas supply, no street
lighting, no water laid on to houses and no arrangement for the
disposal of refuse or sewage.
Moreover it is understood that the assessed rate in the
Municipality of Singapore is 22% plus 2% (a total of 24%) and
there is no free allowance of water.
8.
Having regard to the entire freedom of this Colony from
Income Tax and to the comparative immunity from taxation in :: other forms, Your Petitioners respectfully submit that while the
assessed rates are maintained at their present low level it
cannot seriously be contended that Hong Kong is subject to any
substantial burden of taxation and they submit that the assessed
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