§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether, in view of the intolerable and increasing burden of local taxation borne by occupiers and owners of agricultural land in respect of national services, from which owners of more remunerative personal property obtain at least equal benefit, and of the effect of such burden in keeping down the wages of agricultural labourers, he will without delay introduce legislation with the object of apportioning more equitably the cost of such services among all classes of property based upon ability to pay; and 497W (2) whether, in view of his repeated recognition of the urgency of the ratepayers' grievance, especially in respect of the maintenance of national services, and his promise to remedy such grievance without undue delay, he will take steps to do so in his forthcoming Budget; and whether he will request the Departmental Committee on Imperial and Local Taxation to issue a Report, interim if not final, prior to the beginning of the next financial year, so as to enable the matter to be dealt with in such Budget and prevent its being deferred for another twelve months?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI am unable to anticipate the Budget statement for the coming financial year; and with regard to the last part of Question No. 112, I can add nothing to the reply which I gave to the right hon. Member for Fulham on the 19th of December last.