§ 3. Mr. Sheldonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies he is making of the simplification of the tax system.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Niall MacDermot)I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 7th March to the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. St. John-Stevas).—[Vol. 742, c. 1239–40.]
§ Mr. SheldonIs my hon. and learned Friend aware that there are pressures to increase the complexity of taxation to march hand in hand with the increasing complexity of industry, and will he do his utmost to resist these pressures, realising that it takes a great amount of energy in these matters just to stand still?
§ Mr. MacDermotEvery year, on the Finance Bill, Treasury Ministers spend a large part of their time resisting pressures for adding to the complexity of our tax system.