Mr. DUNCANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he can state, in respect of the incomes of weekly wage-earners in the financial year 1917-18, the estimated gross assessments; the estimated net produce of the year's assessments; and the estimated number of assessments; and (2) if he can state, in respect of the incomes of weekly wage-earners in the financial year 1916-17, the estimated gross assessments; the estimated net produce of the year's assessments; the amount which had been paid into the Exchequer on the 30th October, 1917, the corresponding net receipts; and the estimated total number of assessments?
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§ Mr. BONAR LAWIn the case of Income Tax assessed quarterly upon weekly wage-earners employed by way a manual labour, the following estimates may be given for the year 1916–17:
Gross assessments £202,000,000 Net produce £3,000,000 Number of weekly wage-earners with incomes above the exemption limit 1,500,000 Number of weekly wage-earners liable to pay tax after deduction of the statutory abatements and allowances 630,000 No later figures are yet available. It should be observed that these figures relate solely to weekly wage-earners, and no inference must be drawn from them as to the cost of restoring the old exemptions and abatement limits. Such restoration would, of course, have to be applied to all tax-payers, and could not be confined to persons in receipt of weekly wages from manual employment. As has been previously stated, the cost of restoring the old limits would be approximately £8,000,000