HC Deb 25 March 1981 vol 1 c372W
Mr. George Cunningham

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment upon what grounds, while income deriving from earning is in part disregarded for the purpose of calculating rent rebate under the Government's model scheme, income deriving from pensions which are equally taxed as earned income is not.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

There is a partial disregard of earnings under the rebate scheme because people in work with income equal to the "needs allowance" in the scheme have working expenses, such as travelling expenses, which are not fully covered by the needs allowance itself. Pensioners with income equal to the needs allowance do not have these expenses.