HC Deb 09 April 1962 vol 657 cc976-7

I shall do something to speed up the redemption of the annuities payable under the Tithe Act of 1936. The outstanding annuities yield about £2¼ million a year, paid by about 110,000 landowners. It is not surprising, therefore, that the costs of collection are high in relation to the yield. I therefore propose, following what was done in the case of Land Tax in 1949, to introduce legislation making the annuities compulsorily redeemable when the land in respect of which they are payable is sold after 1st October this year. I hope that in cases where land is not being sold the owners will consider whether they cannot undertake redemption voluntarily. The terms are not ungenerous—about fourteen years' purchase.