§ Mr. Neubertasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the loss of value added tax through evasion by businesses with turnovers of less than (a) £25,000 and (b) £50,000; what would be the cost to the Inland Revenue if those businesses were exempt from the tax; and what administrative savings would result.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe information requested in the first part of the Question is not available.
The losses of Customs and Excise revenue if the value added tax exemption level were raised to £25,000 a year or £50,000 a year are estimated to be about £110 million and £150 million a year, respectively.
It is not possible to estimate with any reasonable accuracy the number of registered traders who might seek de-registration. I regret that for this reason esti 354W mates of the administrative savings are not available.
§ Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to zero-rate for VAT purposes all charges for emptying cesspools and septic tanks.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonI shall bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind.