§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the reason for his policy of calculating rent rebates on the basis of gross pay rather than on income after deduction of income tax and social security contributions.
§ Mr. StanleyIt is easier administratively for local authorities to assess rebate according to gross income, which relieves them of the need to ascertain individual tax and national insurance liabilities. These liabilities are taken into account by the earnings disregard and the "taper", which are built-in features of the rebate scheme.