§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what would be the gross and net cost of raising child benefit to the level of the child's addition paid for (a) sickness and unemployment benefit and (b) the higher rates of national insurance benefit;
(2) what would be the net cost of raising child benefit to the child addition paid to the higher rate of national insurance if the benefit was made taxable.
346W
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe full year additional cost in Great Britain of increasing the November 1980 rate of child benefit—£4.75—by the amount of:
a. the November 1980 short-term child depenency rate would be gross £850 million net £690 million b. the November 1980 long-term child dependency rate would be gross £5,100 million net £4,350 million If child benefit were increased by the long-term child dependency rate and the whole of the benefit were made taxable, the full year tax yield in Great Britain, based on 1980–81 income levels, would be of the order of £2,400 million reducing the net cost of the increase from about £4,350 million to about £1,950 million a year.