§ 62. Mr. Wilkesasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list the everyday necessities which were relieved of Purchase Tax in this year's Budget and state the pecuniary value of the relief so given in respect of each article; in what cases the Purchase Tax relief has or has not been passed on to the consumer by a proportionate or any decrease in the retail price; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GaitskellThe classes of goods relieved from Purchase Tax are set out in the Fifth Schedule to the Finance Bill. In practically every case the items specified cover a wide range of individual articles with values varying according to their composition and quality and it would be impossible to assess the exact amount of monetary relief in every instance. As regards the second part of the Question, detailed information is not available but in the case of all goods subject to price control the maximum retail price has been adjusted accordingly.