Note 8 — Effects of Compound Taxation.

It is truly farcical to hear and see the deep-fetched sigh of a tradesman, when he is reminded by a purchaser, that the subject matter of the bargain is dearer than it used to be: “Alas! Sir, (says he) this very article is taxed one shilling; and, Sir, I say nothing of that cursed shop-tax.” But why? If the purchaser has some kind of labour, no matter what, and no matter how, to dispose of, it is evident that, as soon as the sigh will have gone round, the tax will be paid, without any expence but that of some thousands of sighs exchanged by the community at large.