THE BRITISH BUDGET.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 280, 31 May 1909, Page 5

THE BRITISH BUDGET.

LICENSING PROPOSALS MODIFIED. Press Assn— By telegraph— Copyright. LONDON, Yesterday. The Finance Bill consists of 62 pages and 74 clauses. Two or three concessions are made and others will probably.be inserted in Committee. The Bill allows for decrements without mentioning the. scale, and also for deductions in increment valuations, for buildings on land, goodwill, and agricultural improvements. , Reversionary duties do not apply to leases, below 21. There is no duty for "failure to develop" on public parks, nor on domestin gardens of less than one acre. A reduction is allowed for site values increased by the owner. The Bill slightly alters the original proposal for hotel licenses/ basing the charges.', on liquor sales, instead of making. licenses equal to half the rent 1 . The duties on petrol and motor cars are unaltered. There is no change -in response to the protests made by the bankers and merchants as to the effect on-. capital. A fine of £50 daily is provided for persons failing to make- income tax returns for super tax. Clubs are to make annual returns of liquor sold,, on which, the imposts will be used. • , Critics consider the working' so complex that adaptation will be left to a staff of permanent officials. The land clauses amount to alteration of the whole land tenure and will possibly induce the , House of Lards to demand a separate Land Bill.