§ Mrs. Fennerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the annual cost of zero-rating taxi fares, in line with other forms of public transport, for value added tax.
§ Mr. Peter ReesAbout £45 million in 1980–81, including VAT on the hire of private hire cars.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 22 May, why it is difficult to distinguish between various articles which might be regarded as hygienic necessities by women or men.
§ Mr. Peter Rees[pursuant to his reply, 6 June 1980] : I am afraid that a VAT relief for certain hygienic necessities, such as sanitary protection products, would give rise to similar claims for many other goods, such as soap and toilet paper. This would lead to many anomalies and complaints and would be contrary to the concept of a wide-ranging tax on consumer spending generally.