§ 30. Lord SCONEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, for each of the last three financial years, the yield of Death Duties levied upon land of a purely agricultural nature?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe Death Duties paid in respect of agricultural land are not recorded separately, but it is estimated that the Estate Duty paid in 1931–32 and in 1932–33 was £1,700,000 and £1,991,000 respectively. The figure for 1933–34 is not yet available. The annual receipt of Succession Duty is in the neighbourhood of £235,000 to £250,000.
§ Lord SCONEWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for his reply, may I ask if he does not consider, in view of the comparatively small sum involved, that it would be a good thing, in the interests of preventing a further breakup of estates and the consequent reduction of employment, if this tax were abolished with regard to agricultural land?