§ 79. Lieut.-Commander FLETCHERasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to a recent bankruptcy case in which some £16,000 arrears of Income Tax had accumulated over a period of years; and why such arrears were allowed to accumulate?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am aware of the case to which the hon. Member refers and I can assure him that the accumulation of these arrears did not result from any inactivity on the part of the taxation authorities in making assessments and endeavouring to obtain collection. A considerable part of the tax due was collected, and there is reason to expect that a considerable part of the arrear will also be collected.
§ Lieut.-Commander FLETCHERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware how bitterly 653 these repeated cases are resented by small taxpayers who have made the most gallant struggles to pay their own Income Tax and yet see this evasion practised by others?