§ 37. Mr. COUPERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, as the result of the investigations of the Cabinet Committee appointed by him last year to inquire into the possible evasion of Supertax, and Estate Duties, he has taken any administrative action to ensure that there is no legal avoidance of such duties; and, if so, what amount it is estimated will be saved to the Treasury in the current financial year?
Mr. SAMUELI would remind my hon. Friend that it is in the nature of the case that legal avoidance cannot be dealt with by administrative action. The legislation included in fast year's Finance Act, as the result of the investigations of the Cabinet Committee to which my hon. Friend refers, dealt with legal avoidance of Super-tax. It came into force at the commencement of the current year. Its effect will, no doubt, be both direct and indirect. I have no means of estimating what difference it will make to the yield of the tax. The question of the avoidance of Estate Duty i5 being carefully watched.