§ Bill considered in Committee.
§ (In the Committee.)
§ Clause 1 (Returns to be sent back to and retained by the surveyor of taxes).
§ GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOURasked if the hon. Gentleman intended to introduce any clause into the Bill to guard against any increase in the water rates taking place until some settlement was come to, as to the future supply of water to the Metropolis?
§ SIR HENRY SELWIN-IBBETSONsaid, the question referred to by the hon. and gallant Gentleman was raised the other day in the House, and his right hon. Friend the Home Secretary then stated that the subject was one of great magnitude, and could hardly be dealt with by a clause in the present Bill. The present measure was introduced for a wholly different object. The Government had 775 been obliged to sanction the non-payment of penalties, or rather not to enforce penalties for incomplete returns under the provisions of the Act, on the ground that the same amount of secrecy applied to these returns as to those which were sent in in regard to the Income Tax. The Bill was simply to remedy that state of things, and to enable the authorities in future to secure the provisions of the Act in regard to returns being complied with. He (Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson) did not for one moment under-rate the importance of the subject referred to by the hon. and gallant Member for Kincardineshire; but it must be dealt with in a separate measure, and not in a Bill of this nature.
§ Clause agreed to.
§ Remaining clauses agreed to.
§ House resumed.
§ Bill reported, without Amendment; to be read the third time To-morrow.