§ Captain Duncanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why his recent estimate of the total number of working people at various income levels is nearly 2 million greater than the official estimate of the working population.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerI presume that my hon. Friend is referring to the estimate given in my reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. Hamilton) on 16th November, last.
The figures in my reply covered all persons with incomes, whether working or not, and are comparable with those given in table 18 on page 29 of the Blue Book on National Income and Expenditure published in August, 1954. Unfortunately, the explanatory notes which should have accompanied the figures in my reply of 16th November were inadvertently omitted. As this seems to have led to some misapprehension of the figures, the full reply is repealed below:
The table below gives the estimated distribution of net incomes, after tax, for the year 1953. Range of net annual income Number of persons (millions) Under £250 … … 8.6 £250–£499 … … 10.0 £500–£749 … … 4.9 £750–£999 … … 1.1 £1,000 and over … … 0.7 NOTES
1. The figures refer to all incomes, whether earned or investment. Separate figures for earned income are not available.
2. The group with net incomes below £250 consists mainly of pensioners and juveniles.
3. The deduction for national insurance contributions has been limited to that part of the contribution which qualifies for income tax relief.