§ MR. COBB) (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that in June, 1890, in consequence of representations made by the hon. Member for the Rugby Division, the Board of Inland Revenue gave instructions that the additional Commissioners for Income Tax at Rugby (who were tradesmen in that town) should not be summoned to any meeting relating to Income Tax assessments, and thus practically put an end to their appointment; whether it is, a fact that there are similar additional Commissioners, all of whom are tradesmen at Warwick, who now have access to all the private Income Tax Returns of the taxpayers at Kineton; and whether the Board of Inland Revenue will in this case give similar instructions to those which were given at Rugby, and so put an end to this practice of allowing tradesmen to look into the private affairs of fellow tradesmen with whom they are in competition?
§ SIR W. HARCOURTThe Board of Inland Revenue have no power to give such instructions, and they gave no instructions in the Rugby case. The hon. Member should communicate with the General Commissioners of Income Tax for the district. I would refer him to an answer given to him by my predecessor on the 24th of June, 1889. The real truth is that these Income Tax questions are not in the hands of the Government, but are under the control of the Income Tax Commissioners.
§ SIR W. HARCOURTI am informed that the Board of Inland Revenue never gave any such instructions at all.