§ Mr. FELLasked if the right hon. Gentleman will state how much Income Tax was collected in the first eight days of the present financial year; and how much was collected in the same period in each of the last three years?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEIf by the term "collected" the hon. Member means paid into the Exchequer, and by the term "first eight days" the first eight working days, then the figures, though not strictly comparable in all respects, are as follows:—
| 1908. | 1909. | 1910. | 1911. |
| £2,014,000 | £1,454,000 | £179,000 | £3,513,000 |
§ Mr. FELLWould the extraordinary amount received last week have been received a week before if the collectors had not been restrained?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEThat is rather a hypothetical question, of which I should like notice.
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEIf the hon. Member will give me notice, I will answer.
§ Mr. EVELYN CECILasked whether the Secretary to the Treasury is aware that on or about 15th March a cheque for nearly £60,000, payable before the end of the last financial year by one of the twelve large railway companies, was held over until 10th April at the request of Mr. Grasemann, representing the Inland Revenue Commissioners; and what sum has approximately been lost to the Sinking Fund as a consequence of these visits of an Inland Revenue official to railway, banking, and other companies' offices?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am informed that an official of the Inland Revenue, misunderstanding, as I have already explained, his instructions from the chairman of the Board, did represent to certain railways that payment of Income Tax was not required until April. I am not aware of, or able to identify the particular case referred to. No such representations were made in the case of banking and other companies, so far as I am aware.
§ Mr. NIELDasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state to which railway companies, and on what dates, it was suggested by the Inland Revenue Department that payment of Income Tax due last March might be postponed until the present financial year?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am afraid I have not got the information yet asked for in the question.
§ Viscount CASTLEREAGHasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state the amounts of the Income Tax and Super-tax, respectively, which were due, but not collected, on the 31st of last March.
§ Viscount CASTLEREAGHalso asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state the amounts of the Income Tax and Super-tax, respectively, paid into the Treasury on each of the last fourteen days in the financial year?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEAs regards this and the next question, my right hon. Friend is not prepared at this stage to give further details of the yield of last year's taxes to those already published.