§ Mr. John MacKayasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the amount of value added tax collected from, and the cost of collection in, firms whose turnover for value added tax is between £12,000 and £20,000 and between £20,000 and £30,000 a year.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThe precise information asked for is not readily available and to obtain it would absorb resources that cannot be spared. The approximate numbers of traders registered for VAT in the ranges nearest to those asked for 647W and for which information is available together with the net tax paid by or re-
Taxable turnover (£'000 a year) Approximate number of registered persons ('000) Payment Net tax paid or repaid (£ million) Repayments Net receipts 10–19.9 292 100 35 65 20–49.9 366 220 85 135 It is estimated that the average cost to Customs and Excise in 1978–79 was about £70 in respect of each registered person. No reliable information is available about the administration costs related to different categories of businesses but the cost of collecting VAT from a small firm is believed to be less than the average for all businesses.