§ 54. Mr. B. PETOasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state the amounts of Income Tax collected from companies engaged in productive industries, the business of import and export merchants and warehousemen, shipping and transport, banking, stock, and bill broking and finance, retail distribution, and from private individuals, respectively; and, if not, whether he will arrange that in the coming financial year receipts of Income Tax shall be so tabulated and recorded?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI regret that I cannot earmark the receipt of the Income Tax according to trades and industries, and that in view of the considerable accounting work, which I am advised it involves, I cannot see my way to undertake such a classification for the coming year.
§ Mr. PETODoes not the right hon. Gentleman agree that this would be a most valuable index of the course of trade and the profits derived from different branches of trade in the country
§ Mr. CHURCHILLNo doubt it would be of value and interest, but I am advised that 24 categories would be necessary to give a representative picture, and the work of dividing all the Income Tax returns received from all the different taxpayers into different 'categories would need an amount of labour disproportionate even to the value of the return.