§ 36. Mr. Mathewasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will sponsor an inquiry into the present rating system with the general object of relieving the burden on ratepayers, particularly in respect of those services such as education and police which are to a large extent a national responsibility.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterNo. While I fully appreciate the burden borne both by ratepayers and by taxpayers, and it is of course the latter which has increased to the greater extent since before the war, my hon. Friend's Question raises very large issues which I do not think would be appropriately dealt with by an inquiry.