§ Mr. Madelasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of public spending is met by direct taxation in the United Kingdom; and, from information available from international sources, how this compares with similar figures for the member countries of the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. Maurice MacmillanFigures of public expenditure in other countries are not available on the same comprehensive definition used in United Kingdom statistics. The figures in the table below based on the latest returns to O.E.C.D., are on the widest comparable definitions available. It will be appreciated that international comparisons of this kind are affected by differences in institutional arrangements and by the extent of State ownership of enterprises. Social Security Contributions in the United Kingdom represent a much smaller proportion of total revenue than in member countries of the European Economic Community.