BRITISH BUDGET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 858, 2 July 1910, Page 5

BRITISH BUDGET.

NO NEW TAXES THIS YEARUNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE AND MORE PENSIONS. . LESS SPIRITS CONSUMED. By Telegraph-Press Association—Copyright London, June 30. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in introducing. the Budget in the House of Commons, said lie estimated tlio expenditure for the year ending March 31 next at £171,837,000, to which must be added a realised deficit of 2GJ millions, making, wi|h arrears of payments to the local taxation account, £198,937,000, an increaso of £9,755,000. This includes £5,461,000 for tlio Nary and £325,000 for the Army.

The estimated revenue is £199,791,000, leaving a surplus of £8,610,000. No new taxes were proposed.

Tho whisky and other taxes would be altered.

The "pauper" disqualification for old-age pensions will bo. removed in January next, and insurance (on a contributory basis) against unemployment and invalidity will bo started in" 1911.

Tho Chancellor said that trade had been good in 1910, and lie expected it to bo better in 1911.

There had been a drop of ten million gallons in the quantity of spirits consumed, but there had been no loss to tho revenue, and a distinct gain io tho community. A drop of 33 per cent, in tho number of convictions for drunkenness in Scotland had been recorded, and an improvement of 35 per cent, in Ireland, while the convictions in some districts in England had fallen by 18,000.

CHANCELLOR'S ROSY VIEW. MR. CHAMBERLAIN CRITICAL. ONE CRUMB OF COMFORT FOR IRELAND. (Rec. July 2, (0.15 a.m.) London, July 1. Mr. Lloyd-George, referring to his proposals for insurance against unemployment, said:—

"Next year, if.tho' taxes fulfil their promise, and wc. return to a' normal naval expenditure, we may see our way to start a scheme twice as liberal as Germany's scheme."

Mr. Chamberlain took exception to tlio Chancellor's rosy view. Instead of boasting, Mr. Lloyd-George, ho said, had better wait and see tho permanent results of his taxes.

Mr. Redmond, leader of the Nationalist party, protested against the retention of the increased spirit duties as unjust and oppressive. He had listened with great pleasure to Mr. Asquith's announcement of an autumn session, which ivas the only crumb of comfort tho Nationalists had had for many weeks.

Mr. Lloyd-Goorgo, in replying, said that Ireland, instead of contributing to the increased revenue, received £3,200,000 under the Budget.

labour attitude. PENSIONS AMENDMENT • APPROVED. (Rec. July 1, 10.30 p.m.) London, July 1. A meeting of. members of tli'o Labour party in the House of : Commons has approved of th& removal of tho provisions. of tho Old Age Pensions Act disqualifying old people who aro in receipt of. Poor Law relief, as foreshadowed in the Budget. They aro protesting, however, against a proposal of Mr. Lloyd-George's that tho local rate 3 should bear a portion of the' additional cost.

WHISKY FIRM CLOSES DOWN. DUTY TOO HEAVY. London, June 30. Owing to the effect of the increased whisky duty, the well-known distillers, Kinnahan and Company, of Dublin, have decided to wind up. >

TEN YEARS' FIGURES.

Below are set out the revenue and expenditure figures for' each year since 1901. Tho deficit of ,£20,245,000 shown for the year ending in March last was cluo to the rejection of Mr. Lloyd-George's Budget by the House of Lords, and the consequent non-collection of new taxation under it until its passage in April. Mr. Asquith's deficit in 190!) was duo to tho extra expenditure following the inauguration of tho Liberal old-age pension scheme.

The expenditure in each year, it should be. borne in mind, includes many millions for the reduction of the National debt, and in addition all, surpluses are after the close of the .year applied to the same purpose.

„ Surplus \ear or ending Revenue. Expenditure. Deficit. 1 Mar. 31. .6 . £ £ 1901 ... 130,385,000 183,592,000 53,207,000 1902 ... 142,998,000 195,522,000 52,521,000 1903 ... 151,552,000 184,481,000 32,932,000 1904 ... 141,546,000 14G,901,000 5,415,000 1905 ... 143,370,000 141,956,000 f1,414,000 1908 ... 143,978,000 140,512,000 +3,466,000 1907 ... 144,814,000 139,415,000 |5,399,000 1908 ...*156,538,000 151,762,000 |4,770,000 1909 ... 151,578,000 152,292,000 714,000 1910 ... 131,696,000 157,945,000 26,248,000 1911 ...1199,791,000 t198,937,000 t854,000

to 1907-8 the amounts applied to local taxations were deducted. Tho actual increase over 1906-7 was .£1,501,000. fEstimated.

When lie introduced the final version of last year's Budget in April, Mr. Lloyd-George said there was a fall of .-£2,890,000 in the whisky revenue, duo to forestalments last April, traders working on short stocks, and ft decrease in consumption amounting to 22 per cent, —that is, almost a quarter less spirit was drunk.

"I frankly admit that my estimate failed." He did not doubt tho decrease was directly due to the imposition of the extra. 3s. 9d. a gallon. "Wait till tho new Budget (1910-11) to see if I continue tho increase," was a strong hint of a change.

The deficit of <£26,248,000, Mr. LloydGeorge estimated would be converted into a . surplus of .£3,788,000 when the arrears of taxation had been collected. The dead loss from non-collection of in-como-tax' was put at .£350,000. The total dead loss' through the rejection of the Budget was put by Hie Chancellor at =£1,300,000.