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'File 2/4 I TAXATION OF SHAIKH’S DATE GARDENS.' [‎80r] (164/640)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (316 folios). It was created in 3 Nov 1914-12 Dec 1930. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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icret. A.
The Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ,
Baghdad,
30th September 1929,
My Lord,
/
I have the honour to refer to Sir Gilbert Clayton’s
despatch Secret B dated the 8th of July, i929, on the subject
of the exemption from taxation enjoyed by the Shaikhs of
Kuwait and Mohaxnmerah.
2. The precise value of the remissions accorded to
these two Shaikhs has now been accurately determined by the
Iraq Revenue authorities and show a smaller figure than the
estimated values set out in the despatch under reference, in
which it was stated that the present annual value of the
remission was Rs. 1,09,590 to the Shaikh of Kuwait and Rs.40,933
to the Shaikh of Mohammerah. The revised figures show that
the present annual value of the immunity is Rs. 78 y 303-4**0 to/"
the Shaikh of Kuwait and Rs. 39,041-8-0 to the Shaikh of
Mohammerah. The other figures given in the despatch also
require correction and I, therefore, attach a detailed statement
showing the amount of taxation remitted in each year since 1914
to both Shaikhs. It will be noted that the aggregate reaches
a total of Rs. 14,61,078-12-0.
3. Should it be decided therefore that a solution of
the problem could best be reached on the lines, as suggested
by the late Sir Gilbert Clayton, of a final cash payment the
amount of the payment will be considerably less than calculat
ions based on the earlier figures would suggest.
I have etc.,
Sd* R. Brooke-Popham,
Acting High Commissioner for Iraq.
he Right Hon’ble
Lord Passfield, P.C.,
Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Downing Street, London, S.W.I,

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Content

The volume contains correspondence related to the date gardens owned by the Shaikh of Kuwait, Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, and the Shaikh of Mohammerah, Khaz'al al-Ka'bi, in southern Iraq. In particular, the correspondence concerns the Government of Iraq's intention to end the immunity from taxation (on the gardens) that had been granted to the former ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ, and the Shaikh of Mohammerah by the British Government in return for their military support against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War. The volume contains letters (ff 16-20), dated November 1914, from the British Resident and Consulate-General, Bushire, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to both shaikhs in respect to this issue. The volume also contains correspondence between British officials discussing the British Government's obligations to Kuwait and how it should react to the Government of Iraq's plans.

The Iraq Government had considered and continues to consider that the exemption from taxation is illegal. This issue was discussed in an extract of an article that appeared in Al-Iraq newspaper and published in 1927, in which the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. gives the exact amount (12.000 Turkish gold liras per year, or 100.000 in the past 7 years) Iraq was losing annually as a result of the exemption from taxes granted to the two shaikhs.

The British officials had direct correspondence with the Council of Ministers, Iraq. They conveyed the British Government’s approval to the Government of Iraq to open up direct negotiations with the Shaikhs of Kuwait and Mohammerah regarding their revenue exemptions. Correspondence between the High Commissioner, Baghdad, and the Government of Iraq were made as early as 1924 in regard to the issue. The correspondence between the British officials includes articles of the Anglo-Iraq Treaties as well as reports prepared by the Law Officer of the Crown, Downing Street (ff 116-123).

The volume also contains correspondence between Sayid Hamid Bey Al-Naqib, Basra Deputy to the Ruler of Kuwait, and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir conveying to him the procedures taking place in Iraq regarding his date gardens. Al-Naqib also paid visits to the Shaikh on behalf of the Government of Iraq. The volume also includes statements of the properties of both Shaikhs between the years 1914-1928.

Extent and format
1 volume (316 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 318; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 4-313; these numbers are also written in pencil but, where circled, are crossed through.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 2/4 I TAXATION OF SHAIKH’S DATE GARDENS.' [‎80r] (164/640), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/135, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048076219.0x0000a5> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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