HC Deb 22 April 1913 vol 52 cc269-70

Now I come to the figures of expenditure and the way in which the Government propose to meet that expenditure. The expenditure is £195,640,000. Last year's receipts were £188,802,000, and that leaves me with £6,838,000 more to find this year than last year, or £7,000,000 with the slightest margin. This year the difficulties have been aggravated by a very serious drop in the miscellaneous revenue, which I shall explain later on. That makes it necessary for me to find £7,500,000 more revenue than I had to find last year from other sources. Where and how am I to find that? In coining to the Estimates of revenue there are several considerations which I have got to take into account. There are two or three causes which did not operate last year, but which fortunately for me will operate in favour of the revenue this year. Last year we had a great strike, which deprived me of £550,000. That I shall not have to deduct this year from my Estimates. At the end of last year, as I have explained already, £430,000 was held back from the revenue which would in ordinary course have fallen into the Exchequer, because a quantity of tobacco, tea, and sugar was not taken out of bond in the usual way. That means that this year I shall receive £800,000 more than I received last year.

Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

No.

Mr. LLOYD GEORGE

Certainly.

Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

I beg the right hon. Gentleman's pardon. The two figures he has just read, £500,000 for the strike and £450,000 held back, make £950,000.

Mr. LLOYD GEORGE

Last year the revenue lost £430,000 by holding back but gained £70,000 held back in the previous year, making the net loss £360,000. The £430,000 will come in this year, so that this year will get about £800,000 more than last.

Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

That is holding back alone.

Mr. LLOYD GEORGE

Yes, holding back alone. I hope that is quite clear. If these two items are added together, that is £1,350,000 which we can comfortably expect to get this year over the receipts of last year. Then there is the development of the taxes of 1909. Last year we received £1,000,000 more than we received the preceding year from these taxes. This year we expect to receive £845,000 more than we received last year from these taxes. That brings up the sum to £2,150,000, and I have still got over £5,000,000 to find.