§ Sir ARTHUR MARKHAMasked whether the gross profits derived from coal mines given in the last Report of the Inland Revenue Commissioners includes royalties, rents, and wayleaves paid to the landlords; and whether the statement made by the Commissioners that these gross profits are the average of five years is correct?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEAs the gross profits derived from coal mines are not separately stated in the last report of the Inland Revenue Commissioners, my lion. Friend doubtless refers to the table which is included there of the "gross assessments on profits of mines in the United Kingdom." Such assessments include royalties, rents, and wayleaves paid to landlords, and are based upon an average of five years in almost all cases, but the District Commissioners of Taxes have statutory power in the case of a failing mine to assess on the profits of the preceding year and in the case of enterprises which include coal mining but in which ironworks have been the dominant interest, the assessment is made on the basis156W applicable to the latter, that is also on the profits of the preceding year. The total no doubt includes a few such cases.
§ Sir ARTHUR MARKHAMasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will say what were the gross profits derived from the working of coal mines for the financial year 1909; the approximate amount paid to the landlords for coal royalties, rents, and wayleaves; the gross profits taken from the balance sheets of the coal companies; and approximate gross average profit per ton derived during the same period from the working of coal mines?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe gross assessments on profits of mines in the United Kingdom in the financial year 1908–9, ended the 5th April, 1909, were £16,614,322, and of these assessments £15,136,639, or about eleven-twelfths, were due to mines returned as coal mines. It is not possible without an exhaustive examination of assessments to Mineral Rights Duty to calculate the approximate amount paid to landlords for coal royalties, rents, and way-leaves; in this connection my hon. Friend will doubtless recollect that in many cases coal-mining companies are assessed for Mineral Rights Duty, though they own their mines and pay no royalties. The information in the possession of the Inland Revenue Department is not in any case sufficient to enable a return to be furnished showing the gross profits taken from balance-sheets. The gross average profit per ton arrived at by dividing the foregoing figure of £15,136,639 by 261,528,795, the number of tons which the Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom [Cd. 5841] shows as the output for the calendar year 1908 is approximately 1s. 2d., but this figure includes the profit of the landlord where the mine is not owned by the company working it.
§ Sir ARTHUR MARKHAMalso asked whether the profits classified under mines by the Inland Revenue Commissioners include the profits made by the working of 500,000 railway waggons, the property of colliery companies; and whether these profits also include all those arising from steel, iron, foundries, brick, and bye-product works when carried on by colliery companies?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe profits classified under "mines" by the Inland Revenue Commissioners in their annual Reports include the whole of the profits of colliery companies owning and working 157W waggons but the Commissioners have no information as to the number of these waggons. Any profits from works of a subsidiary character carried on by companies in connection with their colliery business are also included except in cases where such works are separately returned for assessment.