§ 21. Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will disallow for taxation relief purposes the cost of advertising on pirate radio or television stations.
§ Mr. CallaghanNo, Sir.
§ Mr. JenkinsDoes my right hon. Friend recognise that what he is doing is subsidising the theft of performance on the one hand and proposing to tax legitimate performance on the other hand? Will he reconsider and reverse these two things?
§ Mr. CallaghanI do not think I should want at this stage to recommend to the House that we should decide whether advertising should be allowed for taxation purposes by reference to the merit of the particular medium through which the advertisement is made.
§ Sir A. V. HarveyIs not the Chancellor embarrassed by the situation when 18 months ago the Postmaster-General said that he would shut down these stations and the Dutch have been able to do so? Are the Government afraid to do so because the stations are too popular?
§ Mr. CallaghanI do not think this is my responsibility; but I can tell the hon. Member that I live in an almost permanent state of embarrassment.
§ Later
§ Mr. JenkinsOn a point of order. In view of the entirely unsatisfactory nature of the reply of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to Question No. 21 on pirate radio and television stations, in accordance with your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, that these questions should be raised at the end of Question Time, I give notice that I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman misunderstood my Ruling. If an hon. Member does not like the answer to a Question, he must give notice before we move to the next Question that he intends to raise the matter on the Adjournment. What I was suggesting was that tricky points of order during Question Time might be raised at the end of Questions.