Taxation

Question 1

How effectively was the Monarchy financed?

Answer 1

2 main sources of income: Ordinary revenue - royal lands and status as landlord
Extraordinary revenue - granted by parliament for special needs e.g costs of war
- Theme tension betweem crown’s income and expenditure - rarely had enough and reliant on parliamentary taxation
Henry VIII - spend more than £100,000 (building Hampton Court & Whitehall) - royal household £75000 / year

Question 2

North and Social Unrest

Answer 2

lead to dangerous unrest esp. in poorer Northern regions - tax + hardship (harvest / disease)
Revolts of 1489 & 97 + PoG 1536 under Henry VII - sparked by resentment over high lvls. of tax and poverty
- ANy revolt was potentially serious - development of new ofrm of tax 1513 subsidy (fairer method of raising money)

Question 3

Before 1513 - Out of Date, Unfair and Inefficent

Answer 3

15ths and 10ths - property
1334 amts paid by each community had been fixed:
- Boroughs = 1/10th
-Countryside = 1/15th
Expected to yield £29,500
OoD - set 150 years before took no acc of population or other socio-eco changes
Inflation - no longer met the expenditure needs of gov
Unfair - each responsible for raising a fixed sum than indiviudals paying sum based on personal walth - those wealthy avoid paying
Towns - urban suffering fro depopulation + increasing wealth gen in countryside = growth in Eng. cloth and wool trade

Question 4

1513 subsidy

Answer 4

Wolnsey - new funding needed for Henry VIII war w/ France (1509-20) spent £1 mill but only generated £25,000 fron ordinary rev
Solution passed by parliament:
- each person assessed by income (land, wages and possesions) pay tax in one cat. poor not paying more than gentry
- seperate assessment for nobility - based on rank
-Local officials assessed people - JPs monitored by national commissioners

Question 5

Impact

Answer 5

Reduced amt of resentment and ensured wealtheir contributed more than its poorest members - repeated in 1524,15 and 23 raided over 300,000

• enabled Cromwell develop subsidies further - 1534 asked parliament on ground of Henry ruling successfuly for 25 years
• Elizabeth - regulary paying yielded 140,000 each time

L - end yielding 80,000 suggest influention in developing new methos - effectivness in inc royal income not sustained
-Amicable Grant 1525 - attempt to raise w.o consent of parliament - desperate for money - unrest acroos E.A - blamed on Wolsey not Henry

Question 6

Under Elizabeth - Fixed Taxes and Corruption

Answer 6

Obessed w/ caution and political stability - problems emerged

• Permitted rates at which tax was to be paif to become fixed - no inflation taken into account:
• Gov received less money
• Corruption - 1563 each assesment if their wealth accepted as accurate and no longer required to take an oath - claim they had les than they did e.g Cecil £4000 / year but admitted to £133
• Tax records not updated
• Contributed to politcial tensions of 1590s esp forced to expolit her royal prerogative to fund her wars
• Didn’t face same rebellion as Henry in 1489 and 97 - increased control of localities