§ Mr. David Steelasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the standard income tax payable by a widow on a weekly wage of £14.86; and what would be the standard income tax payable by a married woman earning a weekly wage of £14.86.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th December 1976; Vol. 922, c. 544], gave the following information:
Assuming that the widow, in addition to her earnings, is in receipt of a widow's pension at the standard rate and has only the single person's tax allowance and that the married woman has only the wife's earned income allowance, the weekly amounts of tax payable in 1976–77 are £5.17 and £0.25 respectively. If the widow does not receive a pension her weekly tax payment is also £0.25.