HC Deb 20 May 1975 vol 892 cc338-40W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of the duties, levies, etc., collected by Her Majesty's Customs on foodstuffs, etc., in each of BN Chapters 1 to 21 in 1970–71; what was the amount collected on behalf of the EEC in 1973, 1974 and the first quarter of 1975; what was the average incidence of the duties in each case on total imports under these headings; and what was the average incidence on the dutiable items, excluding goods of Common Market origin in the years 1973 onwards.

Mr. Joel Barnett

For the financial year 1970–71, net receipts of protective duties on foodstuffs in each of Chapters 1 to 21 of the Brussels Tariff Nomenclature are shown in Table 67, on page 154, of the Report of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for the year ended 31st March 1973: total net receipts of import levies raised under the Agriculture and Horticulture Act 1964 were £727,000, but for these figures for the separate tariff chapters are not available.

During the transitional period to 1977 the United Kingdom contribution to the EEC budget is determined not by the amounts of "own resources" collected in the United Kingdom but by reference to a percentage of the budget expenditure, determined under the Treaty of Accession. The proportion of duties and levies collected in the United Kingdom which are paid to the Community could not, therefore, be estimated without making some artificial assumptions about the split of the United Kingdom contribution between customs duties and import levies.

The average incidence of duty on imports of all foodstuffs was 1.3 per cent. in 1973 and 16 per cent. in 1974. The detailed information on tariff incidences by chapters is not readily available, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost in time and expenditure.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was collected by Her Majesty's Customs for the United Kingdom Government and the EEC on imports of foodstuffs in each of the Chapter/Division headings in each of the financial years 1970–71 to 1974–75 in the form of (1) customs duties, (2) levies, (3) additional levies, (4) compensatory payments, and (5) other.

Mr. Joel Barnett

Net receipts of protective duties, by tariff chapter headings, in each of the financial years 1970–71 to 1973–74 are shown at Table 67 on page 154 of the Annual Report of the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise for the year ended 31st March 1973, and at Table 51 on page 122 of the report for the year ended 31st March 1974. Comparable figures for 1974–75 are not yet available.

Total net receipts of import levies collected under the Agriculture and Horticulture Act 1964 for the years 1970–71, 1971–72 and 1972–73 were £727,000, £6,061,000 and £16,079,000 respectively. No breakdown of these figures by commodity headings is available.

Receipts, net of compensatory amounts, of EEC agricultural levies for the years 1972–73 and 1973–74 by commodity headings are shown in the table below. The equivalent figures for 1974–75 are not yet available. During the transitional period to 1977, the United Kingdom contribution to the EEC budget is determined not by the amount of "own resources" collected in the United Kingdom but by reference to a percentage of the budget expenditure. The proportion of agricultural levies and customs duties collected in the United Kingdom which are paid to the Community could not, therefore, be estimated without making some artificial assumptions about the split of the United Kingdom contribution between customs duties and import levies.

NET RECEIPTS OF EEC AGRICULTURAL LEVIES
£'000
1972–73 1973–74
Soft Wheat Nil Nil
Hard Wheat Nil Nil
Rye 7 1
Barley Nil 6
Maize Nil Nil
Oats Nil Nil
Sorghum Nil Nil
Other Cereals Nil Nil
Other Cereal Products 93 1,007
Beef and Veal Nil 5
Pig Meat 836 3,181
Poultry 20 260
Sugar 1,794 10,272
Rice 25 149
Eggs 12 398
Milk and Milk Products 172 4,682
Apples and Pears 1,119 4,750
Other Products 90 705
Total levies 4,168 25,415