§ Mr. HowardTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what in real terms was the tax burden in(a) 1997–98 and (b) the most recent year for which information is available on the lowest quintile of equivalised disposable income. [12799]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithAs a result of personal tax and benefit measures introduced since 1997, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population are on average £1,700 a year better off in real terms.
The Office for National Statistics publishes an article, "The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes", usually in the April edition of "Economic Trends". The most recent article states
it should be noted that year on year comparisons between quintile groups of the impact of tax in total could be affected by the inconsistency between income and expenditure for households in the bottom half of income distribution.It goes on to say
The results are intended to be free standing: they were not designed for direct comparison with other years.