§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the number of persons with incomes of over £1 million in each of the past four financial years; and if he will show the number of persons in this category by region.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe numbers of taxpayers, counting husband and wife as68W one, who were recorded in the Inland Revenue's income surveys as having total net income greater than £1 million in 1973–74, 1974–75 and 1975–76 were one, six and four respectively. Figures for 1976–77 are not yet available.
Reports for the income survey have to be completed by a fixed date and it is possible that some taxpayers' incomes were not known to have exceeded £1 million until after the report was made.
Total net income is as defined in Inland Revenue Statistics 1976, page 35. When such small numbers are involved, it is not possible to give a regional break down.