Under the head of Customs and Excise Mr. McKenna proposes
to obtain a new revenue of £21,800,000. He expects to get £5,000,000. a year by an Amusement Tax—i.e., a tax of the kind we have so often advocated in these columns on the fees charged for admittance to theatres, cinemas, football matches, horse-races, &c. This Amusement Tax will he graduated from td. upwards, according to the amount of the admission fee. The Railway Ticket Tax is to range from Id. upwards, but is only to fall on fares higher than 9d., and is estimated to yield £3,000,000. Next comes the very right and reasonable proposal to add id. to the Sugar Tax. This will not greatly raise the price of sugar, and will yet yield an extra £7,000,000 a year. Cocoa, coffee, and chicory are to pay higher rates. The Cocoa Tax is to take a tremendous leap from lid. to 6d., while the Coffee and Chicory Taxes are to be doubled. This will yield another £2,000,000. Next a tax is proposed on matches, which it is hoped will bring in a further £2,000,000. Yet another £2,000,000 is to be obtained from taxes on mineral waters, cider, and perry. These are all sound taxes.
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