The house of Industry : a new estate of the realm

112 APPENDIX Iil A NOTE ON TAXATION

It is to be observed that if full powers of control and co-ordination be confided to the House of Industry, then the responsibility is necessarily thrown upon it to raise the money required by the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Budget. This could be done by the House of Industry by regulating the charges upon production and distribution. In other words, by raising the money at the source or otherwise in such manner as would bear the least harshly or create the least burden at any given time. Thus, personal taxation, particularly income-tax, would be largely swept away. Certainly all incometax on those directly engaged in business or industry. Super-tax could be regulated by an equivalent reduction in salaries. Taxation on the professions or on unearned incomes could be continued and levied as now.

Whereas formerly, taxation in Great Britain was the fairest and most easily collected in the world, it has, since the war, become tortuous, burdensome and oppressive.

IV THE INDUSTRIAL ELECTORATE

The following figures are extracted from the Census of Production, rg11. They indicate clearly (but not now accurately) the industrial basis from which the House of Industry would be elected.

These figures would, of course, be sub-divided into appropriate groups, so that every section of industry should be equitably represented. The first stage would be to allot to each trade or industry its proportional number of members. The second stage would be subdivision into groups. The end sought is not mere