§ Sir FORTESCUE FLANNERYasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether instructions have been sent to the Income Tax officials of Maldon, Essex, not to issue collector's duplicates, and to recall those already issued; whether instructions have been given to all the collectors in the same district to deposit with the Income Tax Commissioners all duplicates, demand notes, and receipt books; whether the surrender of these documents by the collectors makes it impossible for them to receive payment of Income Tax, as they have no receipts to give and no means of reference as to the amounts due by the Income Taxpayers who are willing to pay; whether he has any official information showing that payment of Income Tax has been tendered to collectors in the above-named district, and that the voluntary payment of three-quarters of the whole Income Tax payable in the district is a reasonable estimate of the collections probable to this date if the books and receipt forms had not been withdrawn; and whether the Treasury will at once issue instructions through the proper channel for these obstructions to the financial business of the country to be at once withdrawn?
§ Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE:The collector for the division referred to is appointed by the Local Commissioners of Taxes, with whom rests the decision in regard to the course to be pursued under the circumstances at present affecting the Income Tax. In the absence of sufficient notice to allow me to make inquiry, I am unable to say what decision has been reached by the local Commissioners.