Remarkable Development, The "Tokio Nichi Nichi" publishes some observations on the financial stand-of the Empire which go to show the fisfactory growth of the national resources in the past few years. The total revenue from direct national taxes, which amounted to ¥126,000,000 for the thirty-second fiscal year (1899-1900), increased to ¥242,960,000 in the estimate for the present fiscal year, representing an increase of 92 per cent in six years. Itis difficult to ascertain, continues the Nichi Nichi," the rate of increase in the income of the people during this period but the assessment on which Income-tax is paid may be taken as a fair basis in estimating the income of the people. The assessment shows that the incomes of juridical persons and individuals, and the terest, on Government bond and company debentures, since the amendment of the Income-tax Law in February 1899 is as follows Y277,603,069 356,124,578 392,851,052 432,090,791 478,421,448 503,642,396
From the above it will be seen that the increase in assessment was Y226,000,000, or 81.4 per cent.
With. regard to the incomes of dividuals—juridical persons did not coi into existence until 1898, when the Civil Code was promulgated—the returns show an increase in assessment from 91,310,000 to ¥168,480,000 in the six years 1893 to 1898, or-84} per cent. It is to be noted that' before the Japan-China war the annual' increase' of the income of the people was only about Y¥8,000,000, but jsincs 1896 the annual "increase has amounted to ¥20,000,000.
It is pointed out by our contemporary that the amendment of the Income-tax Law made in February 1899 enlarged the sphere of its application by including foreigners, and the taxes paid by the latter are largely responsible for-the increase in.tho assessed value of individual incomes. In 1900, the first year in which: foreigners came under the Income-toy 'Law, there was an increase in the assess-iment of no less than ¥49,000,000 compared with the figures for the preceding year, and since then the-annual advance' has-varied between thirty-five and forty million: yen' until last year,-when the increase in the:-assessed value fell of to '¥25,100,000.:- The: total-increment inthe past five years amounted t0°92: pericent, representing a rise of 74 per cent compared with the rate of increase in the Preceding five years.
Continuing the examination of these statistics it is found that the assessment of the income-of juridical persons for Inst year amounted to ¥9%,736,000, an increase of Y32,000.000, oe 5.4 per cent, as compared with 1899," 'The assessment of the interest ov Government' bonds and company debentures, which stood at ¥12,675,000 for 1899, rose to Y17,868,000 last year, an increase of 41 per cent. From these particulars, it will be soon that all incomes, excepting those of juridical persons, the' increase of which has been slight sinco- 1900, expanded remarkably year by year in the past five years. The increase of individual incomes has been very grout, being, at the rate of 92 per cent, equal to the percentage of increase of direct taxes paid by them.—* Japan Chronicle."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.