Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/100

 48

THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM

The gross income and income on which tax was received in 1917-18 were distributed as follows : —

Profits from the ownership of Lands .... ,, ,, Houses

,, ,, Other property

Profits from the occupation of lands .... ,, British and other Government securities. Profits from businesses, concerns, professions, em- ployments (except those of a public nature), and

certain interest 1,285, 234,191

Salaries of Government, Corporation, and Public

Company officials 265,641,713

Gross income

£

52,000,000

235,051,205

1,296,300

51,230,000

76,612,502

Income taxed £

172,583,580

16,441,034 66,068,602

682,053,924 146,S35,142

Total

1,967,065,911 1,083,9S2,2S2

Estimated gross income in 1918-19: profits from lands, &c, 290,000, 0001. ; occupation of lands, 100,200,000*. ; securities, 80,000,000*. ; businesses, &c, 1,494,800,000*. ; salaries, 325,000,000*. ; total, 2,290,000,000*.

The gross income from the ownership of land and houses in 1917-18 was distributed as follows : —

— England Scotland i Ireland

United Kingdom

£

Land. 36,710,000

Houses. . . | 207,495,090

£ £

5,590,000 9,700,000 21,892,900 5,663,305

i

52,000,000 235.051,205

The amount of super-tax received was 2,891,345*. in 1910-11 ; 3,018,388*. in 1911-12; 3,599,7J6*. in 1912-13 ; 3,339,008*. in 1913-14; 10,121,023*. in 1914-15; 16,787,654*. in 1915-16; 19,140,411*. in 1916-17 ; 23,278,704*. in 1917-18 ; 35,560,083*. in 1918-19 ; 42,405,000*. in 1919-20, The esti- mated aggregate income of the super-tax payers in 1918-19 was 340,000,000*., and the estimated number of persons chargeable, 48,000. Super-tax is payable by persons with incomes exceeding 2,000*. per year (prior to 1918-19 3,000*. per year, and in 1918-19 and 1919-20, 2,500*. per year).

In accordance with various Acts passed between 1888 and 1911, there are paid out of the Consolidated Fund to the Local Taxation Accounts of England, Scotland, and Ireland sums equivalent to the proceeds (in some cases, of the year 1908-9, and in other cases of the current year) of certain excise licence duties, part of the beer and spirit duties, and part of the pro- bate and estate duties. Certain other grants are also payable.

The payments actually made to the Local Taxation Accounts in 1919-20 are given as follows : —

On account

— of beer and

spirit duties

On account

of licence

duties

On account

of estate

duties

Other

grants, &c.

Total

Payments to : £ England. . . 1,107,260 Scotland. . . 162,248 Ireland. . . ! 124,567

£

2,071,060 391,226 210,746

£

4,676,154

641,378 3S4.866

£

40,000 98,428 848,208

£

7,894,474 1,283,280 1,668,887

Total payments. 1.384,075

2,673,032

5,702,398

986. 63(i

10.746.141

III. National Debt. Borrowing by the State on the security of taxes was practised in Norman times, but the National Debt really dates from the time of William HI. The acknowledged debt in 1689 was about 664,000*., on which the annual charge for interest and management was only 40,000*. At various subsequent dates the amounts were as follows (including the Irish debt throughout) : —