§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That a sum, not exceeding,£7,933, be granted to His Majesty to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1946, for repayment to the Civil Contingencies Fund of certain miscellaneous advances.
§ Mr. HoggCannot we know for what we are being asked to pay? I am simply asking whether we should vote these sums of money without having an explanation from the Government.
§ 6.25 p.m.
§ Mr. Glenvil HallThe Government are very willing to give all the explanations within their power that Members of the Committee may require. This is a hardy 1038 annual as most of those of us who have been in the House any length of time know. It is the repayment of a sum just short of £8,000 to the Civil Contingencies Fund which has during the past year been advanced for certain miscellaneous items of expenditure, which have not fallen under any of the existing votes and which now it is desired to repay to the Civil Contingencies Fund. As old Members of this House know, the balance kept on this Fund now stands at £1,500,000 and if hon. Members desire details of how this £7,933 is made up they will find it on page 4 of the document which I think they will have had from the Vote Office. With that brief explanation I hope that the Committee will allow us to have this Estimate.
§ Overlapping Income Tax Payments
§
Motion made, and Question proposed,
That a sum, not exceeding £250,000, be granted to His Majesty, to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1946, for payments to certain temporary Crown Servants in respect of overlapping Income Tax payments.
§ Mr. HoggAs long as these Votes are put as separate items requiring separate votes, may we have at least a formal explanation and be told what they are?
§ Mr. Glenvil HallThe short explanation of this Vote is that it contains the implementation of the promise given by the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer in the late Government when P.A.Y.E. was first introduced. Certain temporary civil servants entered the Government service during the war, and owing to the fact that as a normal procedure Government servants had tax deducted as they were paid, they found themselves, in the first year at least, paying double taxation. They were paying the tax they owed on their previous occupation and were also having deductions made from their salary as temporary civil servants.
Therefore, when P.A.Y.E. was first introduced they not unnaturally said "What about us?" The ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer looked into this with that sense of justice he has. He made a statement to the House, and the House agreed that something should be done. As these temporary civil servants leave Government employ and go back to their previous or new vocations and as the 1039 amounts become due a cash payment is made. The amount necessary to satisfy these claims during the current year ending 31st March, 1946, is £250,000, which is the amount of the estimate, and I hope that with this explanation the Committee will let us have the Vote.