§ Mr. McMahonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons paid income tax in 1980–81; and what proportion of these was over pension age.
§ Mr. Peter ReesAbout 25½ million people paid income tax in 1980–81—counting husband and wife separately, if they each had income subject to tax.
A breakdown of income tax payers by age is not available. However, tax records do distinguish single people who are 65 or over and married couples with at least one partner who is 65 or over; it is also possible to distinguish single women—but not widows or married women—aged 60 to 64 who have a retirement pension. Amongst these groups, there were about 3 million people paying tax in 1980–81.