CROWNED HEADS AND TAXES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 12070, 25 October 1913, Page 3 (Supplement)

CROWNED HEADS AND TAXES.

ONE OF THE PRIVILEGES ENJOYED BY KINO. GEORGE. If the German Emperor consents to pay a tax on his income of £7,OO<J,(XK> towards the raising of the additional cost of the German army, he will'not be the first crowned head: to'share the financial burden which 'lias to be home by .his subjects. Just' recently tlie King of Siam empowered the Minister of the Interior and the Local Governmeiit Board of his State to collect taxes on his lands and houses throughout 'the country similar to those paid by private individuals. Apart from his official position, King Maha Vajiravulh considers himself as being on the same footing as any ordinary person in regard to the payment of taxes. Pie possesses considerable property, and he is willing to give tlie Government a share of his income as a contribution towards the maintenance of the State. It is an historical privilege that the monarch of Britain should be exempt from payment of rates or taxes, and it is inconceivable that any British Chancellor of the Exchequer would have the temerity to. propose that any change should be made in the constitutional position of the Sovereign in this respect. The reason why his Majesty, does not pay rates or taxes is that-theoreti-cally all taxes are levied in the King's name for the purpose of carrying on the Government, and that to tax the income of the King for the purpose of defraying the King's expenditure would simply be taking money from one pocket to put it into the other. KING AND THEATRE TICKETS.

So stringently is this .theory adhered I to that the exemption from taxation.exi;tends no further thaiii/the'persbn. of the Sovereign, arid all members 1 of : the Royal Family are subject to the same taxation as the rest of us. The matter was tested by the late Prince Consort in connection with his farming experiments at Windsor. It is all a part of the same theory that the use of the Royal Arms and Royal Warrant holders is exempted from the operation of the Act which enforces the taxation of armorial bearings, and this exemption of the Royal Arms allows the family of ,Lane, of King's Bromley, to escape taxation because by royal gift they bear upon.their own arms a canton' of the arms of England, to commemorate the saving of King Charles 11. after the Battle of Worcester by Mistress Jane Lane.

But the King does not evade the payment of his .just debts, and, contrary to what is often supposed, and frequently stated, the King pays from his Privy Purse both for his special trains and theatre tickets. If the King proposes to visit a theatre, notice is sent beforehand, and the Royal box, in those theatres which possess one, is sold subject to the condition that it must be given up if intimation is received that it is required by his Majesty. ROYAL SERVANT'S. But if the King has the privilege, of not paying taxes, it is a well-known fact that multifarious calls are made upon his Majesty's purse in other respects, so multifarious, indeed, that it has often been remarked that the Civil List, which compares very meanly with the revenue of almost every ruler, is wholly inadequate to the position' occupied, by the King of England. Here are a few items which throw some light on the Royal expenditure: His Majesty's Privy Purse, £110.000; salaries to his Majesty's Household and retired allowances. £125.800; expenses of his Majesty's Household, £192,000; Royal hou'ntv, alms, and special services. £13,200.

A heavy expenditure is entailed upon the King through the frequent and splendid entertainments which his Majesty deems it his duty to give from time to time. Even the refreshments provided at the Courts amount to a. considerable figure, while 'such bare items as lighting the fire in the vast kitchen at Buckingham Palace, or cleaning the countless windows of tho palace, absorb a large sum. The provision for servants of the Royal Household and servants of guests, and for. the v endless succession of persons who have to' attend at one or other of the Royal palaces, are unstinted in quantity and quality" and reckoned on a scale peculiar to the establishment of the; Sovereign. The rule as to this scale applies also to wages, board wages, and pensions enjoyed by servants and retainers. If the work is at times rather exacting the reward 'is wholly in proportion, and it may be safely said, that no .Royal servant finds himself, or herself, neglected even when unfit for service. The pension list which the King is of abnormal'"'length, and includes every sort of individual who has rendered service to the Royal House. '■%.." : THOUSANDS FOR .CHARITY. Again, the presents which come from the King "reach al total which" would surprise many' a multimillionaire. Occasions seem" to multiply iiidefinitely oii which itis fitting br graceful;that :the King should. make some personal gift, necessarily of a sbmeiwhat costly ■character", to some member"of the Royal Families of Europe; -of to one other •of the' immense 1 number of private''individuals who come -under his notice. Brit perhaps the most difficult, and yet the most interesting; outlay," aiid one which, exercised by the Comptroller of the- Household', is under"the- immediate and daily supervision of the King himself, is to be found in the list'of public and prirate charities to ■ which annual subscriptions and donations are made." Although scarcely a day passes without some announcement'of-a- gift from the Privy Purse, these benefactions do mot' represent a tithe." of the outflow which takes place in the" relief of suffer:iri>' and wiint. Applicants 'for help seem to think that the puree Of I<or•tunatus must be in the dispensing hands of the Comptroller, and, .although some requests have to be disregarded, it is safe to affirm thai no case which can posMbly be entertained" meets with any ■other than a generous response.

: INCOMES OF HEIRS-kPPAREXT. • then the expenses of travelling which are : incurred by the King are- very heavv." Air'tho arrangements which se?m*so easily made and which resemble clockwork in their result are due not onlv to diligent care, bus also to an inevitable outlay. There is only too much reason to believe- that the revenue at the Sovereign's disposal is not adequate to the heavy calls made upon it, especialhcwhen- "it is remembered that every shilling his Majesty receives from the State "he spends for the benefit of his people. . - It is interesting to note that wlulo the Prince of ;Wales had last year an income of £81.350 from'" the estates of the Duchv of Cornwall, the yearly income of The ' German Crown Prince, who is comparativelv the poorest HeirApparent in Europe, does not exceed £50,000. It is-.estimated that the aggregate-' weaith of' •Germany's rulers : and'their families reaches a figure 'of £3O 000,000, and should the proposed 'war -fixes' be fetend'ed to the Princes, tho German exchequer would reap something like"£3oo,ooo'a. year.