The Earth Government

The revenue might be very much increased without increasing the burden on most of the people through: a more equal land-tax, a more equal tax on house rents, and changes in the current customs and excise system, as those mentioned in (Chapter 2n) It would distribute the burden more equally on all. This increase would not totally liberate the public revenue or even totally compensate the further accumulation of the public debt in the next war. 69 A much bigger revenue increase might be expected by extending the British tax system to all the empire's provinces inhabited by people of British or European descent. This perhaps could only be done by admitting a fair and equal representation of all those different provinces into the British Parliament, consistent with the principles of the British constitution. The representation of each province would be in proportion to the proceeds of its taxes in the same way as British representation is proportional to the proceeds of the taxes levied on Great Britain. So great a change is presently opposed by: the private interest of many powerful individuals, the confirmed prejudices of the people. These are obstacles which may be very difficult or impossible to surmount. We should consider: how far the British tax system can be applied to all the empire's provinces, what revenue might be expected, how this kind of general union might affect the happiness and prosperity of those provinces. At worst, such a speculation can be regarded as a new Utopia. It is less amusing but not more useless and chimerical than the old one. 70The four principal branches of the British taxes are: Land-tax Stamp-duties Customs duties Excise duties