The duty of the Board will be to determine certain questions of fact arising from time to time under the financial provisions of the Bill.
The figures given in this Paper are estimates only, and do not purport to be final. The Bill, therefore, does not rest upon these figures, but enables fuller returns to be obtained after the passing of the Act, and it provides that the amounts of Irish Revenue and Expenditure for the purposes of the Act shall be, not the figures given in this Paper, but such sums as may be determined after the passing of the Act, upon the basis of these fuller returns and of the more accurate figures of Revenue and Expenditure which will then be available, by the Joint Exchequer Board.
Revenue and Expenditure Accounts.
If, however, the estimates given above are assumed, for purposes of illustration, to be the figures finally determined, the Irish Government's Budget in the first year would balance as follows:—
| Revenue. | Expenditure. | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Transferred Sum | 6,127,000 | All purposes not separately specified | 5,462,000 |
| Post Office | 1,354,000 | ||
| Fee Stamps | 81,000 | Post Office | 1,600,000 |
| 7,062,000 | |||
| Surplus | 500,000* | ||
| Total | 7,562,000 | Total | 7,562,000 |
| * Subject to subsequent reduction as stated above. | |||
The Imperial Government's receipts and expenditure on Irish account would balance as follows:—
| Revenue. | Expenditure. | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Irish Revenue (excluding Post Office and fee stamps) | 9,404,000 | Transferred Sum Old Age Pensions | 6,127,000 2,664,000 |
| Deficit | 2,015,000 | National Insurance and Labour Exchanges | 191,500 |
| Land Purchase— | |||
| (1.) Land Commission (2.) Other Charges | 592,000 169,000 | ||
| Constabulary | 1,377,500 | ||
| Collection of Revenue | 298,000 | ||
| 11,419,000 | Total | 11,419,000 | |
Powers of Varying Taxation.
The Bill confers on the Irish Parliament the following financial powers:—
1. It may add to the rates of Excise Duties, Customs Duties on beer and spirits, Stamp Duties (with certain exceptions), Land Taxes, or Miscellaneous Taxes, imposed by the Imperial Parliament.