§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate is provided by his Department's Family Resources Survey of the number of non-taxpaying pensioners who have some dividend income and who have capital in excess of £8,000. [67001]
§ Mr. TimmsThe number of non-taxpaying pensioner benefit units who have some dividend income and capital in excess of £8,000 for 1998–99 is 240,000.
Notes:
1. The estimate is rounded to the nearest 10,000 pensioner benefit units, although it is not necessarily accurate to that degree.
2. The estimate should be treated with caution since taxpaying status is not directly measured by the Family Resources Survey, but has been modelled to the 1998–99 tax system based on reported income, and uprated to 1998–99 levels.
3. Pensioner benefit units are defined as single people over State pension age (men aged 65 and over, women aged 60 and over) and couples (married or cohabiting) where at least one partner is above State pension age.
4. Non-taxpaying pensioner benefit units are defined as those where no individual in the benefit unit is liable to tax.
5. Dividend income is defined as dividends or interest received from stocks, shares, bonds, debentures, other securities, unit trusts, investment trusts, Personal Equity Plans (PEPs) and government gilt-edged stock.
Source:
Family Resources Survey 1995–96.