HC Deb 30 July 1984 vol 65 c52W
Mr. Gordon Brown

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the yield if, in the 1984–85 tax year, child benefit were to be taxed at the higher rates of income tax only.

Mr. Moore

The yield would be about £100 million in a full year, if receipt of child benefit were treated as an addition to the taxable income of a couple or single parent liable to higher rate tax. However, the yield would be considerably less than this if tax were to be charged only at the excess of the higher rates over the basic rate, or if any unused amount of wife's earned income allowance could be set against the benefit.