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Show BUDGET SURPRISES BRITISH HOUSE OF 'j COMMONS MEMBERS LONDON', April 19. (By the Associated Asso-ciated Press.) The feature of tho budget statement delivered in the house of commons today by J. Austen Chamberlain, chancellor of the yx-chequer, yx-chequer, was the revelation of the country's advancing revenue and a surprise In his announcement of a purpose to raise the excess profits tax to CO per cent, when it had been expected ex-pected this tax would bo abolished and a substitute proposed. Mr. Chamberlain, referring- to tho gigantic sacrifices endured throughout the war, described the nation's position posi-tion as "one of unexampled and unequalled un-equalled strength." He announced there would be no more borrowing to balance revenue and expenditures, and estimated new tax proposals would enable en-able the redemption of a great deal of the debt this year and 300,000,000 pounds next year. The new. taxation proposal included increases In . postal and telegraph rates, raising of the duty on spirits from 22 shillings and 6 pence to 70 1 shillings and 6 pence, tho beer duty from seventy shillings to 100 shillings per barrel; doubling of the wine du-' ties, with tho addition of a special ad' valorem tax of 50 per cent on1 sparkling wines; a 50 per cent ad valorem tax on imported cigars; a number of additional etamp duties and a new tax of a shilling In the pound on! limited liability profits. The income tax was not changed,! except for an additional supertax of sixpenco In the pound on incomes exceeding ex-ceeding thirty thousand pounds per i year. I Two questions were left over for special bills, taxation or levy on war I wealth, which tho chancellor said the commons would decide, when tho commltte studying the question had reported, and changes incident to tho income tax in accordance with tho recommendations of the royal commission, com-mission, under which the exemption list for married couples will bo 250 pounds and for unmarried persons 150 pounds. The tax on motor cars and petrol is to continue Until the end of "the year, when' it will be superseded by new taxes. The chancellor said the yield from excess profit taxes had exceeded any! forecast he had dared to make, and had he foreseen the situation, no such reduction by -10 per cent would have been made last year. Debate was postponed untl ltomor-row. ltomor-row. Those who criticised It in preliminary pre-liminary discussions, declared that the new proposals would still further aggravate ag-gravate the high cost of living. They also criticised the absence of a plan to liquidate the country's huge float-j Ing debt, saying Mr. Chamberlain had only proposed fifty million pounds out j of an available 231,000.000 pounds' this year should bo devoted to this purpose. oo |