Excerpt from Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 121: Commencing With the Accession of William IV., 15° Victoriæ, 1852, Comprising the Period From the Thirtieth Day of April, to the Third Day of June, 1852

But, Sir, that is not all, it is not merely that a very powerful party in this House are opposed to Excise duties because they think their in¿uence is peculiarly perni cions to the exercise of our national ia dustry, but even hon. Gentlemen opposite, even those who consider a Customs duty the greatest of fiscal grievances, even they have shown, during these ten years, scarcely less repugnance to raising our revenue by duties on articles of domestic manufacture. Let me now place before the House 9. Ca talogue of the successful invasions which have been made during the same period of the last ten years upon that great source of our revenue - the Excise. Whilst you have reduced the calculated sources of revenue from the Customs by an amount of 9, 000, 000l. During that time, the House of Commons has also during the same period repealed the Excise duty upon vinegar, upon auctions, upon glass, and, finally, upon bricks, by which no less an amount of revenue than a sum approach ing 1, 500, 000l. Has been lost on the Ex cise duties, simultaneously with your suc cessful assaults upon the Customs revenue. But is that all, Sir? Can I forget what occurred in this House only a week ago, when a right hon. Gentleman, once a Mom ber of the late Administration, connect ed in that capacity with the department which peculiarly watches over the fortunes of our trade and navigation, the right hon. Member for the city of Manchester (mr. M. Gibson) - eu active Member also of the confederation that has exercised of late years so considerable an in¿uence upon the finances of this country - came for ward and preposed a repeal of Excise duties which virtually would have further reduced the public income by the amount of Under these circumstances, then, I think the House will agree with me that, not only with respect to Customs duties, but also with respect to Excise duties, the Minister who should propose to supply the deficiency by increasing their number or amount would embark in an enterprise extremely be less.

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