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
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