MISCELLANEOUS TRANSPORT SERVICES (Hansard, 16 October 1945)

§ The Minister of War Transport (Mr. Barnes)
The Financial Secretary to the Treasury explained earlier this afternoon the arrangements which the Chancellor had made when introducing Pay-as-you-earn Income Tax arrangements with reference to civil servants. Certain classes of railway servants are in a similar position. The Chancellor's statement led to representations from the Railway Companies' Association with regard to those railway staffs, and the Chancellor agreed to reimburse the railway companies for dealing with this problem of overlapping payments. He asked that the cash payments to be made should normally fall to be dealt with by the Inland Revenue Department as a matter of Treasury convenience. It has been agreed with the railway companies that they should meet this cost and be reimbursed by the Ministry of War Transport. In regard to other items read out from the Chair, they were dealt with by the Committee which already granted this sum. The figure of £100,000 will meet this railway reimbursement up to 31st March next.

§ Major McCallum (Argyll)
Does this money cover only reimbursement of the railways or does it cover payments made in regard to the Caledonian and Crinan Canals?

§ Mr. Barnes
This deals only with the problem of the overlapping of Income Tax payments. If my hon. and gallant Friend will look at the figures in small type, he will see that the £49,143 granted in the last Session has met the items of cost of Holyhead harbour, the canals and the light railways.

§ Mr. R. A. Butler (Saffron Walden)
I only want to add that the right hon. Gentleman has brought such an air of clarity into our foggy atmosphere on this difficult subject, that I would not like any words of mine to make it more obscure.