§ Mr. Sproatasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what latest approximate estimate he has made of the total income to the Inland Revenue of taxing unemployment benefit, child benefit and other social security benefits, in, respectively, the current year, next year, or any past or future year in respect of which he has made such calculation.
§ Mr. Peter ReesEstimates for 1979–80 are given in the table below. The only other year for which similar information is available is 1978–79; estimates in respect of that tax year were published in "Inland Revenue Statistics 1979", page 15. The calculations for 1979–80 take into account new information on unemployment beneficiaries which has enabled a more accurate method of calculation to be adopted in respect of unemployment benefit. In general, the potential tax yield from benefits can only be estimated approximately and the figures which are asterisked are particularly tentative.
Benefit Cost of exemption from tax in 1979–80 at the levels of benefit in that year £m Child benefit 820 Unemployment benefit 150 Sickness benefit 200 Invalidity benefit as non-contributory invalidity pension 80* Attendance allowance 15* Maternity allowance 20* Maternity grant 5 Family income supplement 5 Supplementary benefits 100* Industrial injury benefits 15* Industrial disablement benefit 25* Christmas bonus for pensioners 12 War disablement benefits 30 War widows' pension 17 Widows' etc. dependency additions 12 Death grant 2