Vintage stamp responsibility press machines utilized by the taxman are being decommissioned, bringing a chapter of monetary historical past spanning greater than 300 years to an finish.
The presses are about 100 years previous and their origins will be traced again to the Victorian period.
From mid-July, an digital course of shall be adopted for remaining transactions which nonetheless want stamps, similar to responsibility paid on shares bought on a inventory switch type.
The brand new course of started in the course of the coronavirus pandemic and, having labored effectively throughout lockdowns, HM Income and Customs (HMRC) has determined to stay with the brand new method.
This changeover, which is able to imply the previous machines are formally retired from service on July 19, will go away the defunct presses needing new houses.
Three shall be saved by HMRC, however they’re in search of appropriate establishments that are eager to have considered one of 5 remaining decommissioned presses, preserving them for his or her historic significance.
Press in Operation
The presses had been designed by the Stamp Workplace and constructed by the interior engineering part utilizing elements provided by Grover and Co, an engineering agency as soon as primarily based in Britannia Works, Wharf Highway, London.
They had been capable of stamp numerous denominations and tally the stamps they embossed daily.
Folks typically affiliate stamp responsibility with shopping for a home – however numerous duties the place fee has been indicated by stamps have been devised and withdrawn over time, making use of to cube and enjoying playing cards, hats, gloves and mittens.
The method of stamping paperwork to point out that tax had been paid started in England lengthy earlier than the presses existed.
The primary stamp responsibility was launched in 1694 as a short lived measure to fund the battle on France.
It was paid on all paper, vellum or parchment for use for authorized paperwork – and fee was indicated by an embossed, colourless stamp.
When ink expertise improved within the 1870s, stamp presses had been developed and redesigned to stamp many various values and be extra environment friendly and safe.
In some ways it’s unhappy to see the presses go, nearly like seeing a life-long colleague retire
Angela MacDonald, HM Income and Customs
The vary of things topic to stamp responsibility has shrunk over time.
One of many largest latest modifications was in 2003, when the stamp responsibility land tax on land and property was launched. Bodily stamps weren’t required, resulting in the closure of many regional stamp workplaces throughout the nation.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s deputy chief government and second everlasting secretary stated: “The brand new digital course of operated effectively throughout nationwide lockdown when it was a lot simpler to make use of digital quite than bodily stamping.
“As this successfully amounted to a profitable trial it satisfied us that this was the best time to finish the method of bodily stamping and decommission our presses.
“In some ways it’s unhappy to see the presses go, nearly like seeing a life-long colleague retire, however it’s great that HMRC is ready to hold and benefit from the stamp presses themselves in so lots of our new workplaces, the place they may make ornamental and informative speaking factors, acknowledging our previous within the very locations which are so essential to our future.
“Now what we’d most love to do is safe long-term houses for the remaining items, that are effectively crafted and characterize parts of each British industrial historical past and monetary historical past.”
The presses weigh 685kg and would require cautious dealing with and robust flooring. They’d be ideally suited to museums or monetary establishments with enough house, HMRC stated.
Any organisations interested by rehoming a decommissioned stamp press ought to contact [email protected].
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