§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the net total of receipts from VAT on the work of living writers.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonI am afraid the information is not available, but net receipts of VAT paid by sculptors, designers, authors, journalists—freelance—and composers are about £4 million a year.
§ Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total cost of administration of VAT for writers, including the cost of inspecting writers' accounts and the cost of inspecting publishers' accounts and of repaying VAT to publishers.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonIt is not possible to isolate the administrative costs of 53W inspecting accounts and repaying VAT in relation to writers and publishers.