HC Deb 21 July 1955 vol 544 c65W
64. Mr. Spence

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was, for the last convenient yearly period, the total sum collected in Surtax and the cost of its collection; what percentage of all revenue Surtax contributed, and what percentage the cost of collecting Surtax was, of the cost of collecting all revenue.

Mr. R. A. Butler

The yield from Surtax for the financial year 1954–55 was £134,700,000, which represents 2.84 per cent. of the total ordinary revenue for that year and 5.3 per cent. of the total Inland Revenue duties. The cost of collection of Inland Revenue duties generally in the year ended 31st March, 1954, was 1.23 per cent. of the yield of those duties. I regret it is not possible to distinguish the cost of collecting individual taxes.