§ 35. Mr. TredinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received about the cost burden on employers in the United Kingdom; and what information he has on comparable figures for other European Community countries.
§ Mr. RedwoodThe latest figures published by the Central Statistical Office show that in 1988 the tax burden on business in the United Kingdom, including employers' social security contributions, was 8.9 per cent. of GNP compared with 17–2 per cent. in France, 13.9 per cent. in Belgium and the Netherlands and 10.5 per cent. in Germany.