a branch of the perpetual revenue. See Revenue.

In Great Britain there is a tax imposed upon all parchment and paper, whereon any legal proceedings or private instruments of almost any nature whatsoever are written; and also upon licences for retailing wines, of all denominations; upon all almanacs, newspapers, advertisements, cards, dice, &c. These imposts are very various; being higher or lower, not so much according to the value of the property transferred, as according to the nature of the deed. The highest do not exceed six pounds upon every sheet of paper or skin of parchment; and these high duties fall chiefly upon grants from the crown, and upon certain law proceedings, without any regard to the value of the subject. There are in Great Britain no duties on the registration of deeds or writings, except the fees of the officers who keep the register; and these are seldom more than a reasonable recompense for their labour. The crown derives no revenue from them.

The stamp-duties constitute a tax which, though in some instances it may be heavily felt, by greatly increasing the expense of all mercantile as well as legal proceedings, yet (if moderately imposed) is of service to the public in general, by authenticating instruments, and rendering it much more difficult than formerly to forge deeds of any standing; since, as the officers of this branch of the revenue vary their stamps frequently, by marks perceptible to none but themselves, a man that would forge a deed of King William's time, must know and be able to counterfeit the stamp of that date also. In France and some other countries the duty is laid on the contract itself, not on the instrument in which it is contained; as, with us too in England (besides the stamps on the indentures), a tax is laid, by statute 8 Ann. c. 9, on every apprentice-fee; of 6d. in the pound if it be sold or under, and 1s. in the pound if a greater sum: but this tends to draw the subject into a thousand nice difficulties and disputes concerning the nature of his contract, and whether taxable or not; in which the farmers of the revenue are sure to have the advantage. Our general method answers the purposes of the state as well, and consults the ease of the subject much better. The first institution of the stamp duties was by statute 5 and 6 W. and M. c. 21, and they have since, in many instances, been increased to five times their original amount.