§ Mr. Fieldasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the 1.3 million people who will have been lifted out of paying tax by the increases in personal allowances announced in the Budget have children; and of these how many are single parents.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThe 1,300,000 people who would have been liable to tax at 1978–79 allowances and will not be liable under the proposed new allowances consist of about 800,000 taxpayers (counting husband and wife as one) taken out of liability in respect of income other than wives' earnings, and a further 500,000 earning wives taken out of liability in respect of their earnings. About 60,000 of the taxpayers have children, including about 10,000 single-parent families, and about 250,000 of the earning wives.