§ Mr. Harry Howarthasked the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity if she is now able to announce the result of the review of classifications for the purposes of the selective employment tax.
§ Mr. HattersleyMy right hon. Friend is proposing shortly to lay an Order giving effect to changes which will remove certain anomalies in the present system of payments under the Selective Employment Payments Act, 1966.
The first change will make slaughterhouses in the private sector eligible for payments under Section 1 of the Act where they are not already so eligible. Local authority slaughterhouses already receive repayments of the tax under Section 4 of the Act.
The second change will be to make eligible for payments under Section 1 the activity of testing manufactured goods where carried out on behalf of a manufacturer to ascertain whether the goods meet statutory requirements. This will remove an anomaly in the field of testing.
Thirdly, the Order will simplify the administrative arrangements for payment of refunds to local authorities and to charities.
The draft Order, which will be subject to approval by Resolution of each House of Parliament, will be laid before the Whitsun recess.