HC Deb 18 June 1975 vol 893 cc454-5W
Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, given current annual earnings before tax of (a) £250, (b) £500, (c) £750, (d) £1,000, (e) £1,500, (f) £2,000, (g) £3,000 and (h) £5,000, what would have been the figures necessary to provide the same purchasing power in January 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965 and 1970, respectively.

Mr. Robert Sheldon,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th June 1975;

1975–76 Gross earnings in
Gross earnings Earnings after tax 1950–51 1955–56

1960–61

1965–66 1970–71
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)
£ £ £ £ £ £ £
250 250 69 85 96 113 142
500 500 138 170 192 226 284
750 750 207 255 288 339 426
1,000 1,000 276 340 384 452 568
1,500 1,393 395 479 542 638 809
2,000 1,718 508 609 692 822 1,080
3,000 2,368 724 899 1,027 1,236 1,622
5,000 3,668 1,285 1,561 1,742 2,102 2,706
Notes: Columns (c)-(g) show the gross earnings which would have been required to provide in real terms earnings after tax equal to those shown in column (b). Except for 1975–76, the price indices used are those given in Table 2 of "The Internal Purchasing Power of the Pound" published by the Press and Information Service of the Central Statistical Office in October 1974: the appropriate calendar year index has been used for each fiscal year. For 1975–76 the retail price index for April 1975 has been used.