§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will raise the income limits which govern the Inland Revenue's practice for remitting arrears of tax where information provided to the Revenue has not been used within a reasonable time.
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§ Mr. DorrellI am pleased to announce that the limits are to be increased from today.
The Inland Revenue's practice of remitting tax in cases where the Department has not made timely use of information available is set out in the White Paper of July 1971—first report from the Select Committee on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration: Session 1970–71: cmnd 4729. The proportion of arrears collected varies according to the size of the taxpayer's gross income; the balance of the arrear is remitted.
The following new scale of limits will apply to arrears of tax, the actual or likely amount of which is first notified to the taxpayer or his agent on or after 17 February, 1993:
Gross Income £ Remission 15,500 or less All 15,501–18,000 3/4 18,001–22,000 1/2 22,001–26,000 1/4 26,001–40,000 1/10 40,001 or more None These figures apply to all taxpayers and exceed the previously separate scale for pensioners which is abolished from today.