§ Commander HERBERT CRAIGasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state the total amount of the profits assessed to British Income Tax for the last financial year arising from foreign shipping companies other than those which have established branches or a place of business in this country?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWSeparate annual statistics are not kept of the Income Tax assessments upon the shipping industry, and it follows that the information asked for by the hon. and gallant Member in regard to a sub-division of the industry is not available.
§ Commander CRAIGasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to the difficulty which any British shipbroker would experience in making a return of profits deemed to have been earned in this country by foreign shipping companies, some of whose ships are trading with this country and to whose accounts the British shipbroker has no access and to the difficulty of determining, in the case of foreign ships trading to this country, which ships do and which ships do not thereby render their owners liable to British Income Tax, he will give instructions that British shipbrokers are not to be pressed to make returns on behalf of foreign owners to whose accounts they have no access, and with whom, under present conditions, postal communication is subject to interruption?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the replies given to his question of the 8th and 9th May, of which I am sending him copies.