Taxation Policy (Hansard, 17 December 1992)

The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)
My Lords, it is a good general principle, but there are, of course, a number of people who pay tax in this country and who do not have the vote, including aliens, persons under 18 years of age, or of unsound mind, convicted persons during the period of their detention in a penal institution in pursuance of their sentence, persons found guilty of corrupt or illegal practices at elections and, at general elections, your Lordships.

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for that Answer, which gave us a good deal of information that we knew already. Does he agree that the overwhelming majority of people in this country, as in any democracy, have the undoubted right to vote out of office a government who impose taxes upon them if they consider them to be unjust, and that those who, like your Lordships, do not have that right—nor the right to vote upon fiscal matters in your Lordships' House—nevertheless have the right to speak out forcefully on such matters in the hope of influencing Ministers and honourable Members in another place? However, there are one or two unique individuals who are, in a sense, Olympian and totally above the party political battle. Because of their unique status they do not have the right—

Noble Lords
Question!

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, I am coming to it. Because of their unique status, those individuals do not have the right to vote or to express or even hold political opinions. If they are now to be subject to direct taxation, contrary to what the Chancellor of the Exchequer implied in another place on 3rd November, will that not breach the principle of "no taxation without representation" and, more importantly, be constitutionally dangerous—

Noble Lords
Order!

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, I am asking a question—

§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Wakeham)
My Lords, I think that the noble Lord is coming to his question and that the House will want to hear it.

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord the Leader of the House for that. This is an important constitutional question. I asked whether that would breach the principle of "no taxation without representation". Would it not also be constitutionally dangerous in that anyone in that position, however hard he or she tried, would find it difficult to remain 647 as totally impartial and detached as would have been the case in the absence of direct taxation being imposed?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, in the situation to which the noble Lord refers, I am sure that, as ever, the impartiality will be wonderful.

§ Lord Richard
My Lords, I am a little lost. Who is the noble Lord referring to?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, as I thought I heard the noble Lord, he was referring to somebody who does not pay tax but who has volunteered to pay tax in the future.

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Earl has taken on board the full implications of the situation. Tabloid newspapers nowadays will pay anything to secure confidential documents, so is it not possible that if certain individuals now start to pay tax information relating to that will be leaked to the tabloid newspapers, just as the Access statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer has recently been leaked, and that this will cause all sorts of unpleasantness, which is highly undesirable?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I think that the noble Lord's supplementary question is a little wide of that on the Order Paper.