§ Mr. Fowlerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to exempt from betterment levy under the Land Commission Act, land for which planning permission has been refused in the last five years specifically because central Government proposals for development of the area were impending, which has remained in the same ownership, and where planning permission for the same or similar development has been or will be granted on any date after 6th April, 1967.
§ Mr. WilleyNo. To grant exemption from levy in this particular set of circumstances would be unfair to other developers and create anomalies. There is a variety of reasons besides the refusal of planning permission why developers were unable to start their development before 6th April, 1967. The fact that development value which was realised before that date escaped levy is no reason for not taking levy on development value that is realised later.