§ 39. Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now detail the specific export rebates at present applied by other Free Trade Area countries which are to be treated in the same way as United Kingdom export rebates, namely, that they will only be available as an alternative to preferential European Free Trade Association tariff treatment.
§ The Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Roy Mason)No other E.F.T.A. country applies specific export rebates of taxes of the kind rebated under the United Kingdom scheme.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that reply. Will he draw it to the attention of the President of the Board of Trade, who told me that it was a general settlement? Is not this operating a one-sided concession by the United Kingdom Government which will continue in force when import surcharges have been withdrawn, although it has been imposed as a concession to satisfy people about the import surcharges?
§ Mr. MasonMy right hon. Friend explained the point to the hon. Gentleman. The hon. Gentleman has been misled in the past on this question. As he knows, on 31st December of this year our exporters will be able to take advantage of either the E.F.T.A. preferential treatment or the export rebate scheme.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinDoes not the hon. Gentleman recognise that it has never been part of the arrangements of the Free Trade Area that the remission of Excise duties should be forbidden on trade passing between the countries in that area? Does he not recognise that his right hon. Friend 607 has sold the pass on this very important issue, and that this is a perfectly legitimate device for encouraging exports?