§ 17. Mr. Milneasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to raise the threshold at which income tax payments commence and reorganise the tax system to enable payments to be made to those whose incomes and wages fall below the levels required for income tax payment.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinI cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's Budget Statement.
§ Mr. MilneIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the situation is becoming nonsensical? We are dealing with the question of what is actually in operation now. In the absence of a national minimum wage, raising the threshold of tax is the only way of giving justice to the millions of low wage-earners at present. Why does not the hon. Gentleman take action now, instead of waiting until April of next year?
§ Mr. JenkinMy right hon. Friend had this option open to him, but decided that it was right in the circumstances that he should reduce the marginal rate of income tax for every single taxpayer in the land.