§ Mr. Roperasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the privately-owned wealth of the United Kingdom is owned by the wealthiest 1 per cent., 5 per cent., 10 per cent. and 50 per cent., respectively, of the population aged 15 years or over; and what are the numbers of individuals and amounts of wealth involved, for each of the years from 1968 to the latest available date.
§ Mr. NottLess than 50 per cent. of the population aged 15 years or over owned all the wealth recorded in the official statistics for each of the years 1968, 1969 and 1970. The figures for Great Britain for the remainder of the answer are as follows:
Wealthiest 1 per cent 5 per cent 10 per cent Percentage of privately owned wealth: 1968 … … 34 60 75 1969 … … 31 56 71 1970 … … 31 56 72 Number of wealth owners('000): 1968 … … 410 2,050 4,105 1969 … … 412 2,060 4,115 1970 … … 413 2,060 4,125 Amounts of wealth (£ thousand million): 1968 … … 31 53 65 1969 … … 28 51 65 1970 … … 29 54 70
§ Mr. Roperasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of total private wealth in the United Kingdom is owned by the wealthiest 1 per cent., 5 per cent., 10 per cent. and 50 per cent., respectively, of adults in each of the age-groups 15 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and 85 years and over.
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§ Mr. NottNo estimate is available for age groups 15 to 24. Less than 50 per cent. of the adults in each age group own all the wealth recorded in the official estimates for that age group. For the percentages of the total wealth of each age group held by the wealthiest 1 per cent., 5 per cent. and 10 per cent. of that age group, the figures for Great Britain in 1970 are as follows:
WEALTHIEST PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION IN AGE GROWTH 1 per cent 5 per cent 10 per cent Age Groups: Percentage of wealth 25–34 … 21 44 63 35–44 … 23 47 63 45–54 … 25 53 69 55–64 … 30 56 73 65–74 … 31 57 72 75–84 … 32 59 73 85 and over … 27 56 71
§ Mr. Roperasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of company shares, by value, are held by the wealthiest 1 per cent. and 10 per cent. of adults.
§ Mr. NottFor 1968 approximately 50 per cent., by value, of company shares owned by individuals were held by the wealthiest 1 per cent. It is not possible at present to make an estimate for the wealthiest 10 per cent.
§ Mr. Roperasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the net private wealth of adults possessing net wealth of £50,000 and above is in the form of cash and bank deposits, building society deposits, insurance policies, Government securities, company securities, and land and buildings, respectively.
§ Mr. NottFor 1968, the latest year for which this information is available, the figures—for Great Britain only— were:
Types of Asset Percentage Cash and bank deposits … 7 Building society deposits … 3 Insurance policies … 2 British Government Securities … 5 Company securities … 54 Land and Buildings … 15 Other assets … 14 Total … 100 NOTE. These figures are compiled on the same basis as those for personal Wealth published in " Inland Revenue Statistics ".
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§ Mr. Roperasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the likely effect on aggregate demand of the introduction of an annual tax on net wealth of 1 per cent. and 5 per cent., respectively, on holdings of £50,000 and above.
§ Mr. NottI cannot give an estimate in quantitative terms, but if such a tax were charged in addition to existing taxes it is to be expected that it would be paid to a large extent out of private savings. In that case the effect on aggregate demand would be less in relation to the revenue yield than that of most existing taxes.