"For Every Carriage .
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'WHILE the Budget is still fresh in W mind, it is interesting to look. back a century or so to see how our forerunners in the transport industry were beset with taxation. As in these days, impositions were spread over various items to conceal the tremendous burden levied on the industry as a whole.
The first Road Fund was the charge made at every gate or toll-bar. It was only a few pence, but the gates occurred every few miles. The money was supposed to be for repairsand upkeep of the roads, but in practice the same thing happened as to-day. In addition to these -highway tolls, there was an annual duty to be paid for each -carriage. The more carriages a man owned, the higher was the individual levy, if he owned one carriage, he was taxed at £6, but if be had eight he had to pay £8 16s. for each one.
Manufacturers and dealers had to pay "For every carriage let to hire, without horses, by any coachmaker£6." The only road user exempted from tax was the owner of a "Carriage with wheels of less diameter than 30 inches with the original cost of same less than £15."
Our forebears also suffered a tax on tie number of horses they owned and this again increased according to the number of animals. The owner of one horse had to pay £1 8s. 9d. a year, and _ the man who had 20 £3 6s. per animal.: After this limit, additional horses bore taxation at £3 6s. per head without any progressive increase.
The garage Proprietor of to-day, with only a few shillings to pay every year on his petrol pumps, can -count himself lucky, for the old-time horse dealer had a special tax to himself. If in London or Westminster, he paid £35 a year, or if in the country £12 10s.
• Naturally; there were no such things as driving licences to pay for, but the Chancellor of the Exchequer roped in
employees under " Duties on Male Servants." There was much controversy as to what constituted a servant as distinct from a workman, but the guiding principle was whether a man wore a uniform. This tax was from 4s. a year for one employee up to £45 18s. for 12.
The net was flung wide and everyone, whether uniformed or not, came under review. For example: One traveller or. rider—£1 10s., more than one, for each, £2 10s. One office or book-keeper or clerk—£1; if more than one, for each—fl 40s. Every servant employed as grontn, stable-boy or helper-10s."
There was one tax which seems to have been overlooked in modern times. So far, the "good pull-up for transport" has not been selected for a special charge, but in the old days there was "For every waiter in Posting Inns and Coffee-houses—.
Li 10s." F.D.A.