§ Mr. Godman Irvineasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost in a full year of deferring the collection of Estate Duty on the death of one spouse until the death of the survivor.
161W
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAssuming for the purpose of this estimate that the duty now due on the first death were collected in full on the death of the survivor, the cost to the Exchequer would of course be the shortfall in receipts during the transitional period. This cost would diminish with the passing of years but at its maximum might be of the order of £120 million or, if the postponement were restricted to the duty on the amount of property now passing to the survivor, of the order of £50 million.