§ Mr. Adleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, for each of the nine EEC Governments, their estimated overseas earnings from tourism, for each of the last five years; and what percentage this represents of: (a) their total overseas earnings and (b) their earnings on invisibles.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe information requested is given in the tables below. Figures in table 1 are in national currencies. The statistics necessarily relate to "travel", which excludes receipts from international transport but includes receipts from travellers other than tourists.
413W
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, for each of the nine EEC countries, whether or not new hotels qualify as industrial buildings and receive capital allowances for taxation purposes; and what are the levels of such allowances in each country.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonExcept in the case of Ireland, hotel buildings are not regarded as industrial buildings, but they nevertheless qualify for tax allowances as buildings used for business purposes in the other EEC countries apart from the United Kingdom. On the rates of such allowance I would refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend gave him on 14th April 1976.—[Vol. 909, c. 609–10.] The only addition to be made to the information given then is that for hotels erected in certain areas of the Netherlands there is also an accelerated depreciation allowance of 25 per cent. of cost for each of the first two years, and an investment allowance of 8 per cent. of cost—not affecting annual allowances—for each of these years.