§ Mr. Robert McCartneyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the loss to the Exchequer in respect of housing benefit paid to private landlords which is not declared for income tax purposes; [40903]
(2) what amount and proportion of housing benefit paid to private landlords in the last year for which figures are available was paid in income tax. [40902]
911W
§ Mr. JackNo specific figures are available. The Inland Revenue places great emphasis on the detection of those who fail to declare taxable income. Payments of housing benefit are monitored as part of the Inland Revenue's normal compliance work.