§ COLONEL WELBY (Taunton)To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that applications sent to Somerset House in April for the return of Income Tax have not yet been decided upon; and whether, in view of the inconvenience caused by this delay to people of small incomes, he will cause inquiry to be made into this delay, with a view to establishing a more rapid system for future years.
(Answered by Mr. Elliot.) It is true that there has this year been unusual delay in dealing with claims for repayment of Income Tax, owing to the enormous and rapid growth in the number of such claims in recent years. The number of repayments in England and Wales in 1899–1900 was about 225,000, whereas this year it is expected to be well over 400,000, or nearly double. As a result of this increase the work has outstripped the capacity of the present staff in the busier months of the year, and arrangements are in progress for providing improved accommodation so as to permit of an adequate enlargement of the staff. This will be available before the end of the year, and 257 it is hoped that the delays experienced this year will not again recur. Meanwhile the Board of Inland Revenue must plead for patience and indulgence on the part of the public. It must be remembered that many of the claims require careful investigation, often involving numerous references to local officers and others, and that considerable delay may arise in certain cases from this cause alone, apart from the general cause explained above.