Writings on Political Economy
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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.
Michael Quinn is a Senior Research Associate at UCL Faculty of Laws.