§ 41. Mr. BOULTONasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will take steps with a view to curtailing passport facilities in cases where it is proved to the satisfaction of the Departments concerned that through residence out of the United Kingdom it has not been possible to enforce the payment of Income Tax assessed and legally payable?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the curtailment of passport facilities in the case of British subjects who owe money to the Revenue, and that he would desire steps to be taken to prevent such people from leaving this country or from living abroad if already there. I am afraid it would not be practicable to adopt a proposal of this kind. It probably would not be effective in securing its object, but even if it were it would of necessity involve a restriction in the present period of validity for passports, namely, five years, which could not be confined to the comparatively small number of people at whom the proposal is aimed.