On the Principles ofPolitical Economy and Taxation 《政治经济学及赋税原理》

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1、OnThePrinciplesofPoliticalEconomyandTaxationbyDavidRicardo,1817PREFACETheproduceoftheearth-allthatisderivedfromitssurfacebytheunitedapplicationoflabour,machinery,andcapital,isdividedamongthreeclassesofthecommunity;namely,theproprietoroftheland,theownerofthestockor

2、capitalnecessaryforitscultivation,andthelabourersbywhoseindustryitiscultivated.Butindifferentstagesofsociety,theproportionsofthewholeproduceoftheearthwhichwillbeallottedtoeachoftheseclasses,underthenamesofrent,profit,andwages,willbeessentiallydifferent;dependingma

3、inlyontheactualfertilityofthesoil,ontheaccumulationofcapitalandpopulation,andontheskill,ingenuity,andinstrumentsemployedinagriculture.Todeterminethelawswhichregulatethisdistribution,istheprincipalprobleminPoliticalEconomy:muchasthesciencehasbeenimprovedbythewritin

4、gsofTurgot,Stuart,Smith,Say,Sismondi,andothers,theyaffordverylittlesatisfactoryinformationrespectingthenaturalcourseofrent,profit,andwages.In1815,MrMalthus,inhis'InquiryintotheNatureandProgressofRent,'andaFellowofUniversityCollege,Oxford'.inhis'EssayontheApplicati

5、onofCapitaltoLand,'presentedtotheworld,nearlyatthesamemoment,thetruedoctrineofrent;withoutaknowledgeofwhich,itisimpossibletounderstandtheeffectoftheprogressofwealthonprofitsandwages,ortotracesatisfactorilytheinfluenceoftaxationondifferentclassesofthecommunity;part

6、icularlywhenthecommoditiestaxedaretheproductionsimmediatelyderivedfromthesurfaceoftheearth.AdamSmith,andtheotherablewriterstowhomIhavealluded,nothavingviewedcorrectlytheprinciplesofrent,have,itappearstome,overlookedmanyimportanttruths,whichcanonlybediscoveredafter

7、thesubjectofrentisthoroughlyunderstood.Tosupplythisdeficiency,abilitiesarerequiredofafarsuperiorcasttoanypossessedbythewriterofthefollowingpages;yet,afterhavinggiventothissubjecthisbestconsideration-aftertheaidwhichhehasderivedfromtheworksoftheabove-mentionedemine

8、ntwriters-andafterthevaluableexperiencewhichafewlateyears,aboundinginfacts,haveyieldedtothepresentgeneration-itwillnot,hetrusts,bedeemedpresumptuousinhi