Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can give an assurance that in the next round of negotiations with the EEC, the United Kingdom will still be able to levy at least half its tax on cigarettes through a specific tax.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonI can assure my hon. Friend that in the current negotiations on the draft Fifth Directive on tobacco tax harmonisation, the United Kingdom would not accept a proposal which would limit the specific element in the duty on cigarettes to less than half of the total tax.