§ Mr. Newtonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many taxpayers will be paying marginal rates above the standard rate in the tax year 1978–79; and how many would have been so paying if the threshold had been fixed at £7,500.
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§ Mr. Robert Sheldon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 24th July 1978], gave the following information:
Taking account of all the amendments to the Finance Bill the estimated number of higher rate taxpayers, counting married couples as one, is 660,000. If the threshold had been fixed at £7,500, there would have been some 770,000 higher rate taxpayers.