§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer from international statistics available to him, what are the latest figures available showing the income tax threshold for a man with wife and two children, expressed as a percentage of average earnings, in each of the EEC member States, Sweden, the USA and Canada (a) excluding local or state taxes and (b) including local and state taxes where applicable.
Subsidies, Compensation and other payments in respect of the period to March 1975 Capital Debt and Revenue Deficits Written.off to December 1975 £m. £m. National Coal Board … … … … 553.7 864.6(5) Electricity Industry (England and Wales) … 571.8 — Electricity Industry (Scotland) … … … 50.2 — British Gas Corporation … … … … 78.3(2) — British Steel Corporation … … … — 350.0(6) Post Office … … … … … … 440.2 177.4(7) British Airways Board … … … … 48.0 135.0(8) British Airports Authority … … … 4.2 — British Transport Commission(1) … … 259.7 487.4 British Railways Board … … … … 2,010.5(3) 1,451.1(9) London Transport Board(1) … … … 41.2 269.8 British Transport Docks Board … … … — — British Waterways Board … … … 33.7 15.5 National Freight Corporation … … … 42.7 — National Bus Company … … … … 36.7(4) — Scottish Transport Group … … … 10.9(4) — (1) The BTC ceased to exist from 1st January 1963. The LTB ceased to be a nationalised industry on 1st January 1970. (2) The Government are also liable in respect of compensation to the BGC for price restraint in 1974–75 up to the limit set by its deficit in that year as shown in the Corporation's Annual Report and Accounts. (3) Payments to passenger transport executives in respect of their payments for BR services are included. (4) Grants towards bus fuel duty are excluded. Since this table covers specific central government grants only, local authority subsidies to bus services are also excluded, except for the central Government contribution to local authority subsidies to rural bus services. Certain grants included in the totals are also available to other operators in the industry. (5) Includes £90.8 million in respect of accumulated revenue losses at March 1965, £24.8 million provision for revenue losses in the year ended March 1966 and £174.6 million in respect of accumulated revenue losses to March 1973. (6) This amount was transferred to reserves under the Iron and Steel Act 1972: against this £131.5 million had been written off by 29th March 1975. (7) In addition, the Post Office (Banking Services) Bill now before Parliament proposes that the Post Office indebtedness to the National Loans Fund should be reduced by £29.7 million, of which £13 million in respect of its banking services would be recreated into the form of public dividend capital. (8) Including £30 million reconstituted as a reserve, which has since been capitalised as public dividend capital. (9) Including £705 million debt suspended under the Transport Act 1962 and finally written off under the Transport Act 1968.