William Godwin's Diary

Events

On 26 April 1833, a reduction in the Malt Tax was moved and voted on by the House, to the embarrassment of the government, who claimed it was essential to maintaining the budget. On 30 April, following a motion to repeal the House and Windows taxes, Charles James Spencer, Viscount Althorp and third Earl Spencer (1782-1845), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, proposed a motion that referred back to the Malt Tax reduction of 26 April, and sought to recognise that the only way in which these direct taxes could be reduced or abolished would be if an indirect property (i.e. income) tax were introduced, and he submitted that it was currently inexpedient to introduce such a tax. His motion was accepted, with the result that a further motion to carry into effect the resolution to reduce the Malt Tax was rejected. Althorp made it a matter of confidence in his tenure of the Exchequer.

See The Times, 27 April and 1 May 1833 and Hansard Third Series, vol. 17, 2 April to 20 May 1833, cols. 757-837.