§ Mr. Willsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make arrangements for old age pensioners to receive their tobacco concession even though they are earning sufficient to make them ineligible for any money payment of pension.
§ Mr. GaitskellNo. Apart from the administrative difficulties, I do not think there are sufficient grounds for extending this exceptional form of relief from taxation to persons who, because of the level of their earnings, are not entitled to pension.
§ 67. Mr. Leatherasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the tax concession made to old age pensioners on tobacco, similar concessions might not be made to non-smoking old age pensioners on fuel, or some other suitable commodity.
§ Mr. GaitskellNo. The purpose of this concession is to give old age pensioners who smoke some relief from the post-war increases in the duty on tobacco, and I can see no ground for an equivalent concession to non-smokers.
§ Mr. A. Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the total number of old age pensioners benefiting from, and the cost of, the cheap tobacco scheme at the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. GaitskellApproximately 1,800,000 old age pensioners benefit from this relief, which costs about £11 million a year.