§ Dr. Littleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount contributed to the Imperial Exchequer from Northern Ireland for the financial year 1944–45 and how much of this sum was returned to the Government of Northern Ireland for the services of that State.
1687W
§ Sir J. AndersonAt this date figures for 1944–45 are necessarily provisional.
Following are the figures:
£000 (i) Exchequer Receipts of net reserved revenue 44,981 (2) Exchequer Issues: (a) of residuary share of reserved taxes 9,981 (b) from Votes of Credit, in respect of excess war expenditure incurred by N.I. Government and repaid by Imperial Government 2,384 Note on the Imperial Contribution.
On the above estimates, the provisional figure of the Imperial Contribution is £35 millions—the difference between the net reserved revenue and the residuary share of reserved taxes. The Imperial Contribution is the method by which the Province bears her share of defence and other Imperial services. The high yield of reserved revenue is due to the war-time level of taxation in N.I. as in the rest of the United Kingdom. Therefore the war-time financial arrangement between the Northern Ireland and Great Britain Exchequers is, that Northern Ireland receives so much reserved taxes as with the proceeds of transferred taxes will meet essential civilian expenditure, and the balance is retained in the Imperial Exchequer as Northern Ireland's financial contribution from taxation to the war effort.