§ Mr. Forthasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the response to his invitation to interested parties to comment on the proposals made in volume 3 of the report of the Committee on Enforcement Powers of the Revenue Departments, Cmnd. 9120, concerning development land tax, petroleum revenue tax, capital transfer tax and stamp duty.
§ Mr. LawsonResponses were received from 12 bodies representing the interests of industry, commerce and the professions. Those responses show a wide measure of agreement with the committee's aim of securing the harmonisation of the rules of compliance and enforcement across all of the direct taxes in line with the proposals made in volumes 1 and 2 of the report.
The representatives expressed some reservations on individual recommendations and I have authorised the Inland Revenue to arrange discussions on them with the interested parties in the near future. I hope that it will be possible, in the light of those discussions, for the Government to reach its final conclusions in time for legislation in 1986.