§ 4. Mr. Swinglerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue has been derived from Purchase Tax on pottery 1106 in each of the last 10 years; and what is his present estimate of the annual yield.
§ Mr. MaudlingThe annual yield from Purchase Tax on pottery is estimated to be about £2½ million. With permission, I will circulate in the Official Report information about the revenue from Purchase Tax on pottery for previous years.
§ Mr. SwinglerIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that over most of the period mentioned in the Question the pottery industry has been a contracting one and an industry with a declining labour force? As the right hon. Gentleman has refused to widen the scope of his concessions to areas of medium unemployment, will he now consider helping the pottery industry by abolishing this tax?
§ Mr. MaudlingThe tax on this range was discussed at length during the Committee stage of the Finance Bill. My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary dealt with it very thoroughly on that occasion.
§ Following is the information:
§ Most pottery was not charged with Purchase Tax before October, 1955,and there are no figures of tax revenue from pottery before that date. Purchase Tax receipts from pottery since 1955 are estimated to have been approximately as follows:
| million | |
| 1955–56 | £1 |
| 1956–57 | £5¼ |
| 1957–58 | £3¾ |
| 1958–59 | £3¼ |
| 1959–60 | £3 |
| 1960–61 | £3 |
| 1961–62 | £3¼ |
| 1962–63 | £2¾ |