第 51 节
作者:嘟嘟      更新:2021-04-30 16:07      字数:9322
  articles which the state of the demand for labour; whether
  increasing; stationary; or declining; requires that he should
  have。 A tax upon those articles necessarily raises their price
  somewhat higher than the amount of the tax; because the dealer;
  who advances the tax; must generally get it back with a profit。
  Such a tax must; therefore; occasion a rise in the wages of
  labour proportionable to this rise of price。
  It is thus that a tax upon the necessaries of life operates
  exactly in the same manner as a direct tax upon the wages of
  labour。 The labourer; though he may pay it out of his hand;
  cannot; for any considerable time at least; be properly said even
  to advance it。 It must always in the long…run be advanced to him
  by his immediate employer in the advanced rate of his wages。 His
  employer; if he is a manufacturer; will charge upon the price of
  his goods this rise of wages; together with a profit; so that the
  final payment of the tax; together with this overcharge; will
  fall upon the consumer。 If his employer is a farmer; the final
  payment; together with a like overcharge; will fall upon the rent
  of the landlord。
  It is otherwise with taxes upon what I call luxuries; even
  upon those of the poor。 The rise in the price of the taxed
  commodities will not necessarily occasion any rise in the wages
  of labour。 A tax upon tobacco; for example; though a luxury of
  the poor as well as of the rich; will not raise wages。 Though it
  is taxed in England at three times; and in France at fifteen
  times its original price; those high duties seem to have no
  effect upon the wages of labour。 The same thing may be said of
  the taxes upon tea and sugar; which in England and Holland have
  become luxuries of the lowest ranks of people; and of those upon
  chocolate; which in Spain is said to have become so。 The
  different taxes which in Great Britain have in the course of the
  present century been imposed upon spirituous liquors are not
  supposed to have had any effect upon the wages of labour。 The
  rise in the price of porter; occasioned by an additional tax of
  three shillings upon the barrel of strong beer; has not raised
  the wages of common labour in London。 These were about eighteen
  pence and twenty pence a day before the tax; and they are not
  more now。
  The high price of such commodities does not necessarily
  diminish the ability of the inferior ranks of people to bring up
  families。 Upon the sober and industrious poor; taxes upon such
  commodities act as sumptuary laws; and dispose them either to
  moderate; or to refrain altogether from the use of superfluities
  which they can no longer easily afford。 Their ability to bring up
  families; in consequence of this forced frugality; instead of
  being diminished; is frequently; perhaps; increased by the tax。
  It is the sober and industrious poor who generally bring up the
  most numerous families; and who principally supply the demand for
  useful labour。 All the poor; indeed; are not sober and
  industrious; and the dissolute and disorderly might continue to
  indulge themselves in the use of such commodities after this rise
  of price in the same manner as before without regarding the
  distress which this indulgence might bring upon their families。
  Such disorderly persons; however; seldom rear up numerous
  families; their children generally perishing from neglect;
  mismanagement; and the scantiness or unwholesomeness of their
  food。 If by the strength of their constitution they survive the
  hardships to which the bad conduct of their parents exposes them;
  yet the example of that bad conduct commonly corrupts their
  morals; so that; instead of being useful to society by their
  industry; they become public nuisances by their vices and
  disorders。 Though the advanced price of the luxuries of the poor;
  therefore; might increase somewhat the distress of such
  disorderly families; and thereby diminish somewhat their ability
  to bring up children; it would not probably diminish much the
  useful population of the country。
  Any rise in the average price of necessaries; unless it is
  compensated by a proportionable rise in the wages of labour; must
  necessarily diminish more or less the ability of the poor to
  bring up numerous families; and consequently to supply the demand
  for useful labour; whatever may be the state of that demand;
  whether increasing; stationary; or declining; or such as requires
  an increasing; stationary; or declining population。
  Taxes upon luxuries have no tendency to raise the price of
  any other commodities except that of the commodities taxed。 Taxes
  upon necessaries; by raising the wages of labour; necessarily
  tend to raise the price of all manufactures; and consequently to
  diminish the extent of their sale and consumption。 Taxes upon
  luxuries are finally paid by the consumers of the commodities
  taxed without any retribution。 They fall indifferently upon every
  species of revenue; the wages of labour; the profits of stock;
  and the rent of land。 Taxes upon necessaries; so far as they
  affect the labouring poor; are finally paid; partly by landlords
  in the diminished rent of their lands; and partly by rich
  consumers; whether landlords or others; in the advanced price of
  manufactured goods; and always with a considerable overcharge。
  The advanced price of such manufactures as are real necessaries
  of life; and are destined for the consumption of the poor; of
  coarse woollens; for example; must be compensated to the poor by
  a further advancement of their wages。 The middling and superior
  ranks of people; if they understand their own interest; ought
  always to oppose all taxes upon the necessaries of life; as well
  as all direct taxes upon the wages of labour。 The final payment
  of both the one and the other falls altogether upon themselves;
  and always with a considerable overcharge。 They fall heaviest
  upon the landlords; who always pay in a double capacity; in that
  of landlords by the reduction of their rent; and in that of rich
  consumers by the increase of their expense。 The observation of
  Sir Matthew Decker; that certain taxes are; in the price of
  certain goods; sometimes repeated and accumulated four or five
  times; is perfectly just with regard to taxes upon the
  necessaries of life。 In the price of leather; for example; you
  must pay not only for the tax upon the leather of your own shoes;
  but for a part of that upon those of the shoemaker and the
  tanner。 You must pay; too; for the tax upon the salt; upon the
  soap; and upon the candles which those workmen consume while
  employed in your service; and for the tax upon the leather which
  the salt…maker; the soap…maker; and the candle…maker consume
  while employed in their service。
  In Great Britain; the principal taxes upon the necessaries
  of life are those upon the four commodities just now mentioned;
  salt; leather; soap; and candles。
  Salt is a very ancient and a very universal subject of
  taxation。 It was taxed among the Romans; and it is so at present
  in; I believe; every part of Europe。 The quantity annually
  consumed by any individual is so small; and may be purchased so
  gradually; that nobody; it seems to have been thought; could feel
  very sensibly even a pretty heavy tax upon it。 It is in England
  taxed at three shillings and fourpence a bushel… about three
  times the original price of the commodity。 In some other
  countries the tax is still higher。 Leather is a real necessary of
  life。 The use of linen renders soap such。 In countries where the
  winter nights are long; candles are a necessary instrument of
  trade。 Leather and soap are in Great Britain taxed at three
  halfpence a pound; candles at a penny; taxes which; upon the
  original price of leather; may amount to about eight or ten per
  cent; upon that of soap to about twenty or five…and…twenty per
  cent; and upon that of candles to about fourteen or fifteen per
  cent; taxes which; though lighter than that upon salt; are still
  very heavy。 As all those four commodities are real necessaries of
  life; such heavy taxes upon them must increase somewhat the
  expense of the sober and industrious poor; and must consequently
  raise more or less the wages of their labour。
  In a country where the winters are so cold as in Great
  Britain; fuel is; during that season; in the strictest sense of
  the word; a necessary of life; not only for the purpose of
  dressing victuals; but for the comfortable subsistence of many
  different sorts of workmen who work within doors; and coals are
  the cheapest of all fuel。 The price of fuel has so important an
  influence upon that of labour that all over Great Britain
  manufactures have confined themselves principally to the coal
  countries; other parts of the country; on account of the high
  price of this necessary article; not being able to work so cheap。
  In some manufactures; besides; coal is a necessary instrument of
  trade; as in those of glass; iron; and all other metals。 If a
  b