§ Mr. SUGDENasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the effect of the Excess Profits Duty is to drive firms with a low pre-War standard to provide for the duty, in addition to a fair profit, in the price of their goods and thereby, to free from competition firms with a good pre-War standard and to enable them to take from the public for similar goods profit enhanced by an amount corresponding to the duty without any benefit to the Exchequer?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe ultimate incidence and effect of any particular tax is a complex subject upon which opinion is often divided. As regards Excess Profits Duty, my own opinion, for what it is worth, is that no general statement as to the ultimate incidence of the tax is universally true, and that its incidence varies with the conditions of particular trades and even of particular traders.