Virginia Gazette (Purdie & Dixon), 21 April 1768

Introduction and summary.

Letter text, 4 July 1776

Page 1

An act to repeal so much of the several acts of Assembly therein mentioned as impose a land and poll tax on the inhabitants of this colony for the year 1768 and 1769.

WHEREAS by an act of the General Assembly made on the 4th day of March, in the 33d year of the reign of his late Majesty King George II. entitled An act for granting the sum of 20,000 l. for the further security and protection of this colony, it was, amongst other things, enacted that a tax of 1s. 3d. for every hundred acres of land, and after that rate for a greater or lesser quantity, should be paid by the owner or proprietor thereof on or before the 10th of day of April 1767, and the further tax or duty of 1s. 3d. for every hundred acres of land, and after that rate for a greater or lessor quantity, should be paid in like manner by the owner or proprietor thereof, on or before the 10th day of April 1768. to the sheriff of the county wherein such land should lie, and that a tax or duty of 2s. should be paid for every tithable person in this colony to the sheriff of the county where such person should be enlisted, by the person enlisting such tithable, on or before the said 10th day of April 1768, to be collected and accounted for in such manner as by the said act is prescribed; and whereas by one other act of the same Assembly made the 19th day of May, in the year aforesaid, entitled An act for raising the sum of 32,000l. for the relief of the garrison of Fort Loudoun, in the Cherokee country, it was, amongst other things, enacted that an additional tax of 9d. for every hundred acres of land, and after that rate for a greater or lesser quantity, should be paid by the owner or proprietor thereof, on or before the 10th day of April, in each of the years 1767 and 1768, and that the further additional tax of 1s. 3d. for every hundred acres of land, and after that rate for a greater or lesser quantity, should be paid by the owner or proprietor thereof, on or before the 10th day of April 1769, and that an additional tax or duty of 2s. should be paid for every tithable person in this colony to the sheriff of the county where such person should be enlisted, by the person enlisting the same, on or before the said 10th day of April 1768, and that the further additional tax or duty of 3s. for every such tithable person should be paid in like manner, on or before the 10th day of April 1769, to be paid, collected, and accounted for, in the manner prescribed by the said act; and whereas by the report of the committee appointed to examine into the state of the funds arising from the several taxes heretofore imposed by different acts of the General Assembly, and appropriated to the redemption of the Treasury notes, it appears that there has already been collected of the inhabitants of this colony a sum nearly equal tot he whole emission of Treasury notes from the year 1754 to the year 1762 inclusive, the balance which will remain due from the country, after deducting the debt due from the estate of John Robinson, Esq; late Treasurer of this colony, and the arrears in the hands of the several collectors, for which security hath been given to the publick, amounting to 294l. 2s. 8d. and no more, which balance, together with any deficiency which may arise from insolvencies, or any other accidents, it is judged that the duty on tobacco the taxes on wheel carriages, writs, and ordinary licenses, which by law are to be continued for two years, will be abundantly sufficient to make good, so that the land and poll tax imposed by the above in part recited acts of Assembly, and which were to be paid and collected in the present and the succeeding year, may and ought to cease, which will be a great relief to the people in the present distressed situation of the colony:

Be it therefore enacted by the President, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that so much of the above recited acts of Assembly as imposed the tax or duty of 1s. 3d. upon every hundred acres of land, and so in proportion for a greater or lesser quantity, also a tax or duty of 2s. on every tithable person, to be paid on or before the 10th day of April 1768, also the further tax of 9d. for every hundred acres of land and after that rate for a greater or lesser quantity, and the further tax or duty of 2s. for every tithable person, to be paid on or before the same day, and in the same year, also the further tax of 1s. 3d. on every hundred acres of land, and after that rate for a greater or lesser quantity, and the further additional tax or duty of 3s. for every tithable person, to be paid on or before the 10th of April 1769, and so much of all others acts of Assembly as relates to imposing a land and poll tax on the inhabitants of this colony, to be paid and collected in either of the years 1768 and 1769, be, and the same is, and are hereby repealed and made void, to all intents and purposes, as if such acts had never been made.

A true copy.

GEORGE WYTHE , C. H. B.

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Page 2 text.

See also

• Oration, Pronounced at the Funeral of George Wythe
• Richmond Enquirer, 10 June 1806
• Richmond Enquirer, 20 June 1806