Sir GILBERT PARKER (for Mr. James Hope)asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he estimates that duty will have been paid on 1762 24,600,000 gallons of spirits since 1st May up to the end of the financial year; whether the yield on such number of gallons would amount at 3s. 9d. a gallon to £4,612,500; whether this sum was greater than his original estimate of the yield of the new Spirit and Licence Duties combined; and whether he still proposed to proceed with both Licence and Spirit Duties as now set forth in the Finance Bill?
§ Mr. FULLERThe answer to all the hon. Member's questions is in the affirmative.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEIf duty is only paid on 24,000,000 gallons in the present financial year, that will be only half the quantity on which it was paid last year, and although 3s. 9d. extra must be paid on that, 11s. will be lost on the other 24,000,000 gallons which will not be taken out of bond; and will not that be a net loss to the revenue?
§ Mr. FULLERI will make inquiries.
§ Sir F. BANBURYIs the hon. Gentleman in a position to answer any supplementary questions, or is he merely giving answers which were given to him by an absent Minister?