§ 42. Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now take steps to give exemption from Entertainment Duties to amateur operatic societies employing professional conductors on the same lines as exemption is given to amateur dramatic societies employing professional producers.
§ The Financial Secretary, to the Treasury (Mr. Henry Brooke)Operatic societies are already entitled to exemption from Entertainments Duty under the same conditions as dramatic societies, and the 372 great majority of them qualify; but for reasons that have been fully explained in the House on past occasions, my right hon. Friend would not feel justified in widening the scope of the exemption for amateur stage entertainments to include productions where professional conductors or other professional performers are employed.
§ Mr. Gresham CookeWould not my right hon. Friend agree that these amateur operatic societies have a high cultural value which is worthy of support, and would he ask his right hon. Friend to give sympathetic consideration to that in the next Budget?
§ Mr. BrookeThese operatic societies could, of course, employ professional conductors if they managed to qualify under the partly-educational ground for exemption.
§ Dr. StrossWill not the Financial Secretary accept that the reasons given in the past have been completely unsatisfactory, and that as a result of the action taken we are not able in this country to raise the level of amateur performances in the way we should?
§ Mr. BrookeThe vast majority of the societies are able to get exemption already under the existing law.