The financial relations of Great Britain and Ireland: the expenditure account.

Abstract

The majority Report of the Financial Relations Commission finds: "That whilst the actual tax revenue of Ireland is about one-eleventh of that cf Great Britain, the relative taxable capacity of Ireland is very much smaller, and is not estimated by any of us as exceeding one-twentieth." Lord Farrer, Lord Welby, and Mr. Bertram Currie report that "We find from the returns that Ireland's taxation contributed in the year 1893-1894 one-eleventh of the whole tax revenue of the United Kingdom, or #6,643.719 out of #82,439,755. If she had contributed in proportion to her suggested taxable capacity, she would have contributed not more than one-twentieth of the whole, or #4,121,987. In other words, she contributed about two and a-half millions more than she would have contributed if taxed according to what we believe to be her relative taxable capacity." Sir David Barbour reports that: "Ireland paid in 1893-1894 about two and three-quarter millions sterling more than she would have paid if the total revenue taken from her had been in proportion to her taxable capacity." Mr. Childers, in his Draft Report, states that in 1893-94 Ireland contributed "in round numbers about two and three-quarter millions in excess of that which she would have contributed if taxed according to her relative taxable capacity." The English Press, with a few notable exceptions, has urged that these findings should be put aside as "vitiated" and "one-sided."