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due to Non Residents and their Effects, and all Goods Wares and
Merchandizes imported into this Country from England is well
founded. As to your Argument that the Imposition of the Tax will
not diminish the Importation of the Commodities of the Mother
Country or interfere with her Trade, it does not satisfy us, for tho'
perhaps the Tax might not, and the whole Burthen would fall upon
the People here which we think it certainly would, yet it can't but be
apprehended that such an Imposition would give some Cause of
Jealousy be deemed to be inconsistent with our Charter and dependent
State, and that it would be thought a prudent Measure in our Supe-
riors to check in the Beginning any the least Step that might tend
however remotely to affect the Trade of the Mother Country.
Your Proposition of a Repayment to Non Residents upon proper
Certificates being produced that a Tax had been paid in the Mother
Country or any of the Colonies does not obviate our Objection. A
Person who has Goods Wares and Merchandizes here may be taxed
in the Manner we have intimated without being able to produce such
a Certificate and we can't but remark that altho' you seem to take
it for granted in the Scheme of your Bill that the Acts of Parliam.t
are executed in England with the Strictness that your Bill would be
if passed into a Law, in this Instance suppose the Acts of Parliament
are not executed so strictly, for if you thought they were, you would
be of Opinion that these Words of the Act of Parliament " Be it
Enacted that every Person having any Estate in ready Mony, or
in any Debt whatsoever owning to them within Great Britain or
without, or having any Goods Wares Merchandizes or other Chattels,
or personal Estate whatsoever within Great Britain or without "
would be sufficient to shew that Persons living in Great Britain
are taxed there for their Credit and personal Estate here.
We have not proposed a Tax upon Mechanics, nor do we desire
that it should take Place, We have said that such Officers as have not
greater Incomes than Mechanics ought no more to be taxed than
Mechanics, those Officers would be taxed with others for all their
real and personal Estates and this we thought and still think would
be sufficient
As you assign no other Reason for insisting upon the Tax upon
Officers and the Clergy than that it has been imposed in England,
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p. 323
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we hope you'll not any longer insist to carry it into Execution further
than we are willing to admit — If by your Assertion that they have
been taxed in the same Manner in the Land tax Acts, you mean that
they have been included in some Land tax Acts we admit it, and so
have many others whom you have not included, but if you mean
that all Officers and the Clergy of England have been taxed always
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p. 324
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