§ Mr. Costainasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies existed at 31st March, 1968; how many of those companies were close companies within the meaning of the Finance Act, 1965 as amended; how many companies in the construction industry are close companies; and how many are not.
§ Mr. Harold LeverAt 31st March, 1968, there were 567,500 companies registered in Great Britain but a large number of these are not active or not profit-making. The number within this total which are close companies is not known. In 1967–68 there were, however, 169,300 assessments to Corporation Tax on close companies, out of a total of 272,300. The corresponding numbers for the construction industry were 17,000 and 24,000 respectively.