§ 15. Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received since his Budget on the financial position of war widows.
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§ Mr. BrittanNone as yet, though the extension of the widow's bereavement allowance has been warmly welcomed.
§ 18. Mr. Meacherasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received as to the distributional effects of the Budget.
§ Mr. WakehamI refer the hon. Member to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw).
§ 21. Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the effect of his Budget proposals on the total burden of direct and indirect taxation.
§ Mr. WakehamThe proposals my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor put forward on 15 March will reduce the overall burden of both direct and indirect taxation.
§ 22. Mr. Stallardasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received as to the impact of the Budget upon the living standards of the elderly.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneThe proposals put forward on 15 March have been generally welcomed. They will reduce the overall burden of taxation. Higher tax allowances will help the lower paid. It is too early to say what the increase in the pension will be, but we expect that our pledge to maintain the value of the pension will be more than fulfilled in this Parliament.
§ 23. Mr. Parryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the policies proposed in his Budget to lead to a reduction in unemployment.
§ Mr. BrittanIt is not the practice to publish unemployment forecasts. The Budget should be seen within the framework of the medium term financial strategy, which is designed to lay secure foundations for sustainable growth in output and employment.
§ 27. Mr. Winnickasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect on unemployment will result from his Budget proposals.
§ Mr. BrittanIt is not the practice of this or previous Governments to publish estimates of the overall effect of Budgets on unemployment. Such estimates are too dependent on a range of unpredictable factors to be other than misleading. However, the Budget introduced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursues our economic strategy aimed at fostering a substantial recovery of output and employment.
§ 29. Mr. Kenneth Carlisleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received since the Budget concerning the number of people paying tax.
§ Mr. WakehamThe proposals that my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer put forward in his Budget Statement have been generally welcome. There will be 1¼million fewer income taxpayers in 1983–84 than if allowances had remained at their 1982–83 levels.
§ 30. Mr. Hooleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received as to the impact of the Budget on investment in manufacturing industry.
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§ Sir Geoffrey HoweThe CBI has welcomed the general encouragement my Budget has given to enterprise, the measures taken to reduce business costs and the specific encouragement given to investment by small firms. The Institute of Directors has also welcomed the Budget, and the help it provides for increased business profits, and more investment and jobs.
§ 32. Mr. Wigleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the general reaction and response to the proposals of his recent Budget.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweYes. It is recognised that I have been able to propose significant reductions in taxation while maintaining the sound financial disciplines that are necessary to continue reducing inflation and to help sustain economic recovery.