Supposing the Home Rule Bill to have become law the account of Irish finance would have stood thus:
Receipts.
Imperial taxes:
Customs £1,880,000
Excise £4,300,000
Total £6,180,000
Local taxes:
Stamps £600,000
Income-tax 6d. £550,000
Total £1,150,000
Non-tax revenue:
Post Office £1,020,000
Total: £8,350,000
Expenditure.
Contributions to Imperial expenditure on basis of one-fifteenth of Imperial expenditure:
Debt charges £1,466,000
Army and Navy £1,666,000
Civil charges £110,000
Total £3,242,000
Sinking Fund on one-fifteenth of capital of debt £360,000
Constabulary[101] £1,000,000
Local Irish Civil charges £2,510,000
Collection of revenue:
Imperial taxes £170,000
Local taxes £60,000
Non-tax revenue £604,000
Total £834,000
Surplus £404,000
Total £8,350,000
When it is said that in 1885-1886 Ireland was paying to Imperial expenditure in the proportion of £2 to £23, that proportion was calculated on the whole gross Imperial expenditure, whereas Mr. Gladstone calculated the proportion of £2 to £28 on a military expenditure materially cut down, for he excluded from it charges which ought strictly to be called war charges, a modification very favourable to Ireland and reducing considerably her true contribution.
He made another concession of great importance. He proposed to credit Ireland with the entire receipts levied in Ireland, but that was not a true test of the amount of taxation paid by Ireland. There are goods which pay duty in Great Britain, but which are consumed in Ireland, so conversely there are goods which pay duty in Ireland but are consumed in Great Britain. For instance, spirits, porter, and tobacco are largely exported duty paid from Ireland and are consumed in Great Britain, and Mr. Gladstone calculated that the excess of duties so paid in Ireland on goods consumed in Great Britain amounted to no less a sum than, £1,400,000 a year. That is of course British Revenue, and in striking a true account between the two countries it should be credited to Great Britain, not to Ireland. The Home Rule Bill, however, gave it to Ireland, a direct grant of £1,400,000[102] from Great Britain to Ireland, and if that amount be subtracted from the contribution of £2 to £28, it leaves the proportion £2 to £52 instead of £2 to £23.
If we strike a balance between the contributions to be paid by Ireland to Great Britain under the Home Rule Bill, and the grants to be paid to Ireland, we shall arrive at the following result:
Contribution from Ireland to Great Britain £3,602,000
Grants from Great Britain to Ireland:
Duties paid in Ireland on goods consumed in Great Britain £1,400,000
Grant toward the Constabulary £500,000