Functional socialism

78 FUNCTIONAL SOCIALISM

return to what I have called tendentious taxation. One aspect of this is the duties levied on imported goods to protect the British producer. But, on the functional hypothesis, all this would disappear, because the purchase, or refusal to purchase, could, without difficulty, be enforced by the economic authority. Moreover, it would insist upon freedom and elasticity in the international market. In January, it might want no imports in a given category; in July it might arrange a large exchange of its own products for those kept out in January. We have only to examine the Irish imbroglio to see how easily function could have settled it.

DOING AWAY WITH INCOME TAX

The more, then, we examine the present Budget, the more do we find it an o//a podrida of diverse elements, partly genuine taxation, partly political, partly economic. The cool eye of function would survey it and quickly give it a consistency unknown in its history. For the whole of the functional work envisaged in any Budget would naturally pass to the economic authority—armaments, housing, public works, and ten thousand other details, not forgetting new furniture for schools. ‘Thus, function would pay a large part of its guota, not in money, but in goods and services. Much, however, would necessarily be paid in an approved currency—salaries for civil servants and pay for soldiers and sailors. Pay, please note, not wages. ‘hus, the estimates for the coming Budget would not be confined to a little circle of Treasury