Income Tax

HC Deb 18 July 1977 vol 935 cc396-7W

Mr. Hodgson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the yield of personal income tax has been in each of the years since 1970.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

Net receipts for years since 1970–71 were:

		Income tax	Surtax	£ million Total
1970–71	…	5,731.2	248.3	5,979.5
1971–72	…	6,432.3	348.2	6,780.5
1972–7	…	6,477.0	341.0	6,818.0
1973–74	…	7,136.6	307.4	7,444.0
1974–75	…	10,270.9	186.3	10,457.2
1975–76	…	15,040.8	108.7	15,149.5
1976–77*	…	17,030	63	17,093
* Provisional.

Surtax was replaced by the unified income tax with effect from 1973–74. Receipts from it have been included to make valid any comparison between the years.

Mr. Lawson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the explanation of the difference between the figure of 625,000 people taken out of tax by the Budget changes, provided in the Written Answer to the hon. Member for Blaby,Official Report 6th July, c. 573, and the figure of 845,000 people taken out of tax provided by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Statement,Official Report, 29th March, c. 280.

Mr. Robert Sheldon,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th July 1977; Vol. 935, c. 167–8], gave the following information:

The figure in the Budget Statement of 845,000 people taken out of tax included 220,000 earning wives, counted separately from their husbands. The hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Lawson) in his Question asked for figures on the same basis as those provided in ark earlier answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr (Mr. Rooker) which were on the basis that married couples were counted as one.

Mr. Montgomery

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in theOfficial Reporthow much, in money terms, a single person and an average family with two children will benefit by the cuts in income tax announced in the Budget Statement.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 15th July 1977; Vol. 935, c. 289], gave the following information:

The benefit depends upon the level of the taxpayer's income. I would refer the hon. Member to the "Explanatory Tables" issued by the Treasury on 29th March 1977, of which I am sending him a copy.