§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many widows have annual earnings which are (a) less than £250, (b) between £250–£500, (c) between £500–£750, (d) between £750–£1,000, (e) between £1,000–£1,500 and (f) over £1,500, respectively.
§ Mr. HigginsThis information is not available.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of widows pay income tax; and what proportion of these is working widows.
§ Mr. NottAbout 20 per cent. of all widows paid tax in 1970–71, the latest year for which this information is available. It is not possible to say how many of these were working.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of making all social security widows' benefits tax-free.
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§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of making tax-free all the social security widows' benefits paid during the first 26 weeks of widowhood.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what level of income a widow begins to pay tax, assuming she is eligible only for a personal allowance.
§ Mr. NottA widow under 60 would begin to pay tax if her income exceeded the appropriate personal allowance—i.e., £595 for 1973–74.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost to the Exchequer of giving all widows an additional personal allowance equal to that given to old people.
§ Mr. NottThe cost of extending the age exemption provisions to all widows would be about £1½ million.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the last financial year, how many widows were presented with demands for tax underpaid amounting to more than £50, because the tax due on the widow's pension was not deducted quickly enough from their own earnings.