PITT LIFTS TAXES ON TEA
[GEORGE III.]
An Act for repealing the duty imposed on tea by an act passed in the last session of Parliament, and for granting other duties in lieu thereof; for repealing so much of several acts as relates to the removal of tea; for directing the Officers of Excise to examine and certify the exportation of exciseable commodities; and for better securing duties on candles.
London, Eyre and Strahan, 1785.
Small 8vo, pp. 72; first and last leaves rather dusty, creased at upper corner; a few small ink stains to margins; otherwise a good copy, uncut and stitched as issued; numerous contemporary annotations to title-page, referring to Norfolk interest (‘Coltishall').
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An Act for repealing the duty imposed on tea by an act passed in the last session of Parliament, and for granting other duties in lieu thereof; for repealing so much of several acts as relates to the removal of tea; for directing the Officers of Excise to examine and certify the exportation of exciseable commodities; and for better securing duties on candles.
Rare separate edition, not in ESTC. When Pitt the Younger became prime minister in 1783 he found Britain’s economy to be on the verge of collapse. To increase trade and reduce smuggling, he began cutting duties on imports. As detailed in the present act, in late 1784 duties on tea were slashed from around £12 per annum to £5. By 1789 the quantity of tea passing through Customs had doubled. The act also makes reference to Pitt’s Sinking Fund, a fund of £1 million with an interest rate of 10%, out of which any deficiency in the duties would be paid; clearly this was not necessary given the massive boost in trade. There are also provisions for packaging of tea and the opening of packages, etc.
ESTC notes a single copy of the usual ‘extract’ format with continuous pagination (pp. 1547-1574) at Lincoln’s Inn.
