§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of taxpayers who had, in any of the last five years, taxable income of more than £25,000, and if he will estimate how many of these have since settled in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man and the consequent estimated loss of revenue caused thereby to the revenue in 1980–81, assuming such persons would have been liable to tax on their highest taxable income over any of the last five years.
§ Mr. Peter Rees[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1981]: Statistics have not been kept of the number of taxpayers with taxable income of more than £25,000 for all years but the available figures are:
Year Taxable income greater than £ Number of taxpayers 1976–77 20,000 36,000 1977–78 21,000 42,000 1978–79 24,000 34,000 1979–80 25,000 *53,000 1980–81 27,750 *61,000 * Estimated. There are no records of how many of these taxpayers have since settled in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man or how much tax may have been lost to the revenue in consequence.