§ 13. Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people (a) are paying income tax in the current financial year and (b) would have been paying income tax if the tax regime had been indexed and maintained since 1978–79. [18534]
§ Mr. JackThere are 25.6 million income tax payers in 1996–97. If we had maintained and indexed the 1978–79 tax regime, 1.8 million more people would pay income tax.
§ Mr. GreenwayDo not those figures say it all?
§ Mr. MackinlayLast time, Harry.
§ Mr. GreenwayWe are the party of low taxation, and it is time that the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay) learnt that. He supports a party of high taxation—individual, collective and every other kind. That is the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats, and it always will be.
§ Mr. JackMy hon. Friend is right. He knows that people are better off under the Conservatives because of our tax policies. He knows that we have one of the lowest tax burdens in Europe. The burden is 39 per cent. of gross domestic product in Germany and 45 per cent. in France, but only 35 per cent. in the United Kingdom. He also knows that, with £30 billion-worth of spending pledges attached to their name, the Opposition would raise taxes to fill their black hole.
§ Mr. JackI refer the hon. Gentleman to today's Financial Times, where he will see a demolition job of Labour's attempt to deal with that problem. The minimum wage is described, effectively, as a tax milch cow for Labour