§ 9. Mr. Dribergasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that a taxpayer, of whose identity he has been informed, saw, when discussing his tax affairs at the Inland Revenue Office at Harlow, Essex, that his personal file contained a newspaper cutting concerning a strike in which, as a shop steward of the Electrical Trades Union, he had been involved; to what extent it is the practice of the Inland Revenue, when compiling the personal files of individual taxpayers, to include such material; and if he will put a stop to this practice.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterYes, Sir. It is not, of course, the practice of the Inland Revenue to place on their files any document other than one containing material relevant to the tax liability of the person concerned.
§ Mr. DribergWhat exactly does that Answer mean? Is the right hon. Gentleman saying that this document was included in the personal file and that he agrees that it was relevant?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIf the hon. Gentleman has studied the newspaper cutting concerned, he will have seen that it contains, at any rate, one set of facts relevant to this gentleman's tax liability—the dates of his discontinuance and resumption of employment.
§ Mr. DribergBut is it not possible for the Inland Revenue to obtain all the relevant data in the ordinary way from the employer without going into political or industrial activities like this?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIt is, of course, the duty of employers to furnish material of this kind, but it is also the duty of the Inland Revenue to take any information relating to these matters by way of confirmation and to have it available in the discharge of its normal duties in the course of law.