§ Mr. Fieldasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will present the tax threshold, including child benefit, for each year since 1970 and including this year's budget changes for a single person, a married couple and a married couple with one, two and four children; and if he will also list (a) the supplementary benefit poverty line and (b) the family income supplement eligibility levels for each household for each year.
§ Mr. Peter Rees, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 19 June 1979], gave the following answer:
The thresholds represent the amount of income—including family allowances and tax-free child benefit—that can be received before tax is payable. The
314Wdomestic fixed capital formation for each year since 1945.
§ Mr. BiffenThe following table contains the available information. The figures for overseas direct investment measure the amounts invested in share and loan capital, retained profits and trade credits by private United Kingdom companies and some public corporations in their related manufacturing concerns abroad. It is not known how much of these amounts have been used by the overseas concerns for expenditure on fixed capital assets. The figures for gross domestic fixed capital formation in private United Kingdom manufacturing relate only to expenditure on fixed assets.
figures of tax allowances take account of earned income relief and family allowance deduction—clawback—where necessary.
The rates of allowance are those in force in November in each year.
Family income supplement was not introduced until 31 August 1971. Family income supplement level is the maximum level of income at which any family income supplement is payable.
In April 1977, child benefit was introduced and the family income supplements were reduced to offset the child benefit which is not counted as income for the purposes of calculating FIS entitlement. Family allowance was previously counted as income.
The supplementary benefit levels are the short-term rates.
315W316W
Single Married Married with one child Married with two children Married with four children Year Weekly threshold Supplementary benefit level Weekly threshold Supplementary benefit level Weekly threshold Supplementary benefit level FIS level Weekly threshold Supplementary benefit level FIS level Weekly threshold Supplementary benefit level FIS level £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ 1970–71 … … 8.04 5.20 11.50 8.50 14.35 10.00 — 16.15 11.80 — 21.00 17.05 — 1971–72 … … 8.04 5.80 11.50 9.45 15.33 11.15 18.00 18.12 13.15 20.00 24.94 19.20 24.00 1972–73 … … 11.37 6.55 14.83 10.65 18.67 12.55 20.00 21.46 14.80 22.00 28.29 21.60 26.00 1973–74 … … 11.44 7.15 14.90 11.65 18.75 13.70 21.50 21.44 16.15 24.00 28.17 23.55 29.00 1974–75 … … 12.02 8.40 16.63 13.65 21.25 16.05 25.00 24.87 18.95 28.00 33.44 27.65 34.00 1975–76 … … 12.98 10.90 18.37 17.75 22.98 20.85 31.50 26.60 24.60 35.00 35.17 35.90 42.00 1976–77 … … 14.13 12.70 20.87 20.65 26.63 24.25 39.00 31.40 28.60 43.50 42.29 41.75 52.50 1977–78 … … 18.17 14.50 27.98 23.65 32.75 27.65 43.80 37.52 32.60 47.80 48.40 47.60 55.80 1978–79 … … 18.94 15.55 29.52 25.25 34.02 29.65 46.00 38.50 34.95 50.00 48.83 51.05 58.00 1979–80 … … 22.40 18.30 34.90 29.70 38.90 34.90 54.00 42.90 41.15 58.50 50.90 59.60 7.50