§ Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of retail sales during November and December, including Christmas, 1968, and during the whole of the year; what revenue, including Purchase Tax, was gained; and how these figures compare with the previous three years.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyRevenue figures for November and December cannot readily be provided and those for 1968 as a whole are not yet available. As the rest of the Answer contains a number of figures I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Following is the information:
£ thousand million 1965 1966 1967 1968 Retail sales in Great Britain: November and December 2.19 2.24 2.36 2.49 Total for year 10.9 11.4 11.7 12.4 Approximate taxes included in total retail sales for year 1.3 1.4 1.5 not yet available Note: Taxes on goods and services of the retail trade can only be approximately estimated because some taxable items, notably tobacco and alcoholic drink, are sold by other trades; the figures of taxes collected do not distinguish the type of outlet in which the goods are ultimately sold. This means, in particular, that year-to-year changes are subject to a high margin of uncertainty. The estmates for 1966 and 1967 include an allowance for Selective Employment Tax.