And so to the Budget. Sir Kingsley Wood did his
best with all the figures, but they were larger than ever. As he announced tax after tax the House of Commons became hardened to the process. It is too soon to see the Budget as a whole. The Purchase Tax has been abolished, only to appear in another form. Books are to be taxed, along with pots and pans, periodicals and newspapers at the lower rate ; cosmetics and toilet preparations are now separated from books. There cannot be many new sources of revenue, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as might have been expected, trod a prosaic road. We do not expect rhetoric from a Chancellor, but we ask for a little colour and distinction. It remains to be seen how the attack develops next week. Meanwhile the House of Commons expresses the determination of the country in facing the limits of taxation. I expect there will shortly be an economy campaign, but it cannot affect the larger figures of expenditure.
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