49. Mr. V. Adamsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will so readjust the scales of Death Duties that only those portions of estates which exceed certain figures shall be liable to increased rates of duty?
§ Sir J. SimonI may remind my hon. Friend that the existing method of graduation of the Estate Duty scale has obtained since the inception of the duty in 1894, and I am not prepared to propose any change in the method of graduation of the scale of the kind suggested by him.
Mr. AdamsIs it not correct to say that under the present system it is often an advantage to beneficiaries if an estate is below rather than above a certain figure?
§ Sir J. SimonI should like to see the figures which the hon. Member has in mind.
Mr. AdamsBut is not that true at certain stages—when the estate reaches fresh stages of £1,000, and so on?
§ Sir J. SimonIf my hon. Friend has an anomaly that calls for correction, I can assure him that I should like to know it. I thought he was suggesting that there should be a change in the fundamental principle of the taxation affecting the total value of the estate.
Mr. AdamsBut would not such a suggestion as is implicit in this question correct the kind of anomaly which I ventured to describe in my first supplementary question?
§ Sir J. SimonI should like to see what the anomaly is.
§ Mr. ManderWill the Chancellor of the Exchequer give an assurance that no further special concessions will be made to landowners at the expense of the rest of the community?