§ Mr. Beithasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to making tax allowances for retired men available to those men who (a) retire voluntarily at 60 years of age and (b) retire at 60 years of age on medical grounds.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the income tax age allowance for taxpayers of modest means who are aged 65 or over. This is not a retirement allowance but is intended to recognise the reduced taxable capacity associated with the onset of old age. For this purpose we consider a qualifying age of 65 for both men and women to be about right.