28 6
B. II.
expenfe of living equals, or nearly equals, whatis gained by bodily labor, moderate taxes renewedfrom time to time after confiderable intervals, willpromote induftry, without railing the price oflabor; but that permanent taxes will unavoidablyraife the price of labor, and of manufactures. InHolland* the high price of provifions and of labor,occafioned by permanent taxes, have excludedfrom the foreign market every one of their manu-fadures that can be fupplied by other nations.Heavy taxes have annihilated their once flourifhingmanufactures of wool, of fiik, of gold and Giver,and many others. The prices of labor and of ma-nufactures have in England been immoderatelyraifed by the fame means.
To prevent a total ciownfal of our manufactu-res, feveral political writers hold, that the laboringpoor ought to be difburdened of all taxes. Theroyal tithe propofed for France , inftead of allother taxes, publilhed in the name of MarefchalVauban, or fuch a tax laid upon land in England,early impofed, might have produced wonders. Butthe expedient would now come too late, at leaftin England: fuch profligacy have the poor-ratesproduced among the lower ranks, that to relievethem from taxes, would probably make them worklefs, but aflurcdly would not make them workcheaper. It is vain therefore to think of a remedyagainft idlenefs and high wages, while the poor-rates fubfift in their prefent form. Davenant pro-nounces, that the Englifh poor-rates will in timebe the bane of their manufadures. He computes,