§ 10. Mr. Nabarroasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much Entertainments Duty he budgets upon collecting in the tax year 1953–54 from football and boxing; and by how much per centum the present level of football pools tax would have to be raised to compensate for abolishing Entertainments Duty on football and boxing in the same tax year.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerAbout £1.6 million and 2½ per cent., respectively.
§ Mr. NabarroWould my right hon. Friend tell the House whether he has received any approaches from those abolitionists of Entertainments Duty on football as to whether they would be prepared to shoulder a commensurate increase in the football pools tax?
§ Mr. ButlerMost representations to me are for relief and very few want to take on an extra burden.
§ Mr. GaitskellHow much of the £1 6 million is boxing and how much is football?
§ Mr. ButlerI could not say without notice, but perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would put that down.
§ Mr. NallyIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that, despite the invariably pompous nature of the supplementary questions of the hon. Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Nabarro), this is one occasion when he is on a good point? Are we to understand from the reply that the right hon. Gentleman has given that an increase in the football pools tax of 2½ per cent. would, in point of fact, make it possible for him to relieve the sports named in the Question from tax entirely, and if that is so will he bear in mind that it is far better to tax football pools than it is to tax the people who go to see a game?
§ Mr. ButlerWe will have an opportunity later today of discussing the Entertainments Duty and perhaps we shall go into some of these details then.