Select Committee on Taxation

HC Deb 12 May 1971 vol 817 c376

39. Dr. Gilbert

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will now move to appoint a Select Committee on taxation.

Mr. Whitelaw

I have no proposals to do so at the present time. Hon. Members will have noted, however, that we move to appoint a Select Committee on Corporation Tax.

Dr. Gilbert

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that there is support on both sides of the House for a proper Select Committee on Taxation and that the Select Committee on Corporation Tax only is a rather puny creature? Will he tell us what is so special about corporation tax that that alone can be studied while other taxes cannot? May we have an assurance that if the new Select Committee works, without scaring the pants off the Treasury too much, for a period of, say, six months, its remit can be widened?

Mr. Whitelaw

I have always made my position clear. I believe that it is right steadily to develop the Select Committee system. We have set up the Select Committee on Expenditure, which I am sure will succeed, but it is right to give it an opportunity to develop and to see how far it succeeds. We have also set up this ad hoc Committee on Corporation Tax. Again, I should like to see how that succeeds. I think, therefore, that it is right to reserve the position on further developments until we see how those Committees, which we now have, succeed in their particular tasks.