§ 16. Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of Transport what has been the annual revenue from tolls on the Severn Bridge since opening; and what was the cost of collection.
§ Mr. CarmichaelIn the first full financial year April 1967 to March 1968 revenue was £740,689 and the operating costs of collection were £42,185 or 5.7 per cent.
§ Mr. DalyellAccording to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the cost of collecting revenue through tolls is twelve times the cost of collecting similar revenue by Selective Employment Tax. What conclusions does my hon. Friend draw from this?
§ Mr. CarmichaelThey are two quite distinct forms of charging. Over the whole variety of Government taxes there must be wide variations in cost of collection. This does not mean that one method is invalid because it is less costly or more costly than another.