HC Deb 23 October 1975 vol 898 cc227-8W
Mr. Trotter

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost of excluding widow's pension from all income tax and from the standard rate of income tax, respectively.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

I regret that the information on which to base a precise calculation is not available, but it is estimated that the cost for 1975–76 of exempting the widow's State pension from income tax would be about £70 million. A little over £1 million of this represents tax at rates higher than the basic rate. These figures include the tax on the national insurance retirement pensions of widows between the ages of 60 and 65, but it is not possible to distinguish this in the costs.