The New Irish Constitution: An Exposition and Some Arguments
History
The New Irish Constitution: An Exposition and Some Arguments
Home rule -- Ireland; Ireland -- Politics and government
With these facts before him Mr. Gladstone made an entire change in the
financial scheme. As in 1886, he held that Ireland must make a proper
contribution to Imperial expenditure, but he abandoned the principle,
adopted in 1886, of obtaining that contribution by a quota of
one-fifteenth of Imperial expenditure, that is a contribution of £2 by
Ireland to £28 by Great Britain. He retained instead the whole of the
Customs revenue collected in Ireland as the Irish contribution. He
proposed that Great Britain should pay any excess of the charge of
constabulary over £1,000,000, out of the contribution, the balance
representing Ireland’s share of Imperial expenditure. He justified the
change on the ground that as the management of trade was reserved to the
Imperial Government, the management of the Customs so closely connected
with trade should be Imperial also. The Customs were expected to produce a
net revenue of £2,370,000. He estimated it as equivalent to about 4 per
cent. of Imperial expenditure whereas the actual contribution was about 12
per cent. The contribution would, of course, vary as the net Customs
revenue rose or fell. On the other hand the Irish Government were to take
all the rest of the “true” revenue of Ireland and to defray out of it all
local Irish expenditure, including a fixed sum of £1,000,000 towards the
cost of the constabulary and Dublin police, which were temporarily to
remain Imperial services. Customs and Excise duties were to be regulated
and collected by the Imperial authority which was also to fix postal
rates; but all other taxes were to be imposed by the Irish Legislature.
The interests of existing judges, and existing civil servants, and of her
constabulary, which remained under the control of the Viceroy, were
secured. The constabulary would be gradually replaced by a force under the
control of the Irish authority. Two Exchequer Judges would be appointed to
guard observance of the Act, and appeals lay to the Privy Council which
would try on the motion of the Viceroy, or of the Secretary of State, any
question as to invalidity of an Irish Act. These arrangements might after
fifteen years be subject to revision in pursuance of an address to Her
Majesty from the House of Commons or the Irish Legislative Assembly.
The receipts and expenditure of the Irish Government under this scheme
would have stood as follows:
RECEIPTS.
(1) Excise true revenue exclusive of licences £3,220,000
(2) Local taxes:
Stamps, Income-tax, Excise licenses £1,495,000
(3) Postal revenue £740,000
(4) Other non-tax revenue £205,000
Total £5,660,000
EXPENDITURE.
(1) Civil Government charges, except Constabulary £3,210,000
(2) Collection of Inland revenue £160,000
(3) Postal service £790,000
(4) Contribution to Irish Constabulary £1,000,000
Total £5,160,000
Surplus £500,000
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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