Writings on Political Economy

Bol

A new volume of the writings of Jeremy Bentham, containing 'Supply without Burthen' and 'Proposals relative to divers modes of Supply', in which he set out systematically to review possible sources of public revenue. The works contained in this volume, 'Supply without Burthen' and 'Proposals relative to divers modes of Supply', were drafted by Bentham in 1794, during an intense period of activity in which he set out systematically to review possible sources of public revenue. Bentham had long believed that the appropriation of a proportion of the estates of those dying without near relations offered a painless method of raising public revenue, and now developed the proposal in detail, before sending a précis to Charles Long, Secretary to the Treasury. Fifteen months later that précis, with some additions, was published as 'Supply without Burthen', and opens the present volume. Bentham drafted considerable additional material for 'Supply without Burthen' which was neither sent to Long nor published, and which is the source for four Appendices in the present volume. By late September 1794, Bentham envisaged 'Supply without Burthen' as the first of a related series of proposals for generating public revenue. The remaining proposals ranged from further painless expedients, through taxation with compensatory benefit, to taxation pure and simple. Since Bentham viewed all these proposals as connected elements of a single generic enterprise, the fruits of his labours (excepting the proposal which he did publish, namely 'Supply without Burthen') are published together for the first time in the present volume as 'Proposals relative to divers modes of Supply'. This work is followed by six Appendices which shed further light on Bentham's approach to raising public revenue, including his first articulation of what would reappear five years later as his Annuity Note Scheme.

Bol Partner

A new volume of the writings of Jeremy Bentham, including notes on his discussions of political economy and public finance, his reaction to the taxation of legal proceedings, and the denial of justice to the poor. In the mid-1780s Bentham drafted his first sustained discussions of political economy and public finance for Projet Matière (itself part of Projet d'un corps de loix complet). Those discussions are now lost, but the corresponding marginal contents open this volume, followed by three closely related appendices. The volume continues with Defence of Usury, first published 1787, which was well received, quickly translated, and established some reputation for Bentham in political economy. In 1790, whilst preparing a second edition, Bentham drafted the raft of additional materials included here in five appendices. At the same time he began Manual of Political Economy, an introductory handbook which he never finished, while the surviving text appears here, supplemented by seven appendices. In March 1793 Bentham reacted to press reports of the Irish Budget by composing A Protest against Law Taxes, a trenchant critique of the taxation of legal proceedings, and the denial of justice to the poor, which was printed in 1793, published in 1795, and extended in 1816, and which completes the volume.