§ Mr. Adleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what substantive changes have taken place in the methods of taxing or rating land and farm buildings, in the other eight EEC countries, since their entry to the EEC; and if he will indicate how such taxes, if extant, have either risen or fallen in each year since the enlargement of the EEC.
§ Mr. BishopI regret that I have no information to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Spence) on 1st February.—[Vol. 925, c.95–6.]
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the effect that implementation of the Layfield Committee proposals on land and farm buildings would have on the price of food, assuming all the extra costs for the farmer were passed on to the consumer.
§ Mr. BishopRetail food prices are subject to many factors and the effect of a decision to rate agricultural land and buildings cannot be estimated with any certainty. But assuming that rates had been levied on agriculture in 1975–76 on the same basis as for industry the additional costs could have implied an increase in retail food prices of the order of ½ per cent.
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§ Mr. Adleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest estimated cost of implementing the recommendations in the Layfield Report concerning rateability of farm buildings and farmland.
§ Mr. BishopAgricultural land and buildings are not shown on valuation lists but it is estimated that, had they been fully rated in 1975–76 on the same basis as industry, the rates payable in the United Kingdom would have been about £140 million.