§ 7. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he give an estimate of the numbers of people in Great Britain whose net wealth was not over £3,000, not over £200,000, and over £200,000, respectively, for the years 1956, 1960, and 1964, respectively; and what steps he will take to accelerate wealth redistribution.
§ Mr. MacDermotAs the Answer contains a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. As to the second part of the Question, I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget proposals.
§ Mr. RobertsI thank my hon. and learned Friend for the steps already taken in wealth distribution, but would not he agree with me that there is a considerable feeling on this side of the House that wealth redistribution plays a vital part in any successful prices and incomes policy? Is he aware that many of us expect to be proposed in the next Budget increases in the Capital Gains Tax and in other forms of taxation on vast accumulated wealth?
§ Mr. MacDermotI cannot anticipate the Budget proposals, but when my hon. Friend sees the figures he will observe that they show that the number of people with assets worth more than £3,000 increased by 2½ million—that is to say, they 186 more than doubled—between 1956 and 1964.
§ Mr. Robert CookeIf all the millionaires had all their money taken away and it was shared out among the whole population, how much would each of us get?
§ Mr. MacDermotI should require notice of that question.
§ Following are the figures:
§ The estimates, which are subject to wide margins of error, are as follows:
| NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN GREAT BRITAIN AGED 21 AND OVER WITH WEALTH | |||||
| Thousands | |||||
| Not exceeding £3,000 | Not exceeding £200,000 | Exceeding £200,000 | |||
| 1956 | … | … | 32,300 | 34,600 | 5 |
| 1960 | … | … | 31,900 | 35,000 | 7 |
| 1964 | … | … | 30,700 | 35,600 | 12 |