Mr.Lewis asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer over what period of years it is estimated that the receipt of Income Tax by the Exchequer would be actually diminished in the event of the overcharge of £60,000,000 being incurred by the inclusion of all employment in the pay-as-you-earn scheme instead of weekly wage earners only; and whether it is estimated that the diminution in actual receipt of tax would he evenly spread over those years or would tend to be smaller in the early years and larger in the later years?
§ Sir J. AndersonThe tax discharged would be the equivalent of amounts otherwise payable, by each individual taxpayer affected, at some time or times in the1398W future when either the rate of tax falls or earnings fall or earnings cease, and I am afraid, therefore, that I cannot furnish any estimate of the length of the period involved.