§ Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to the number of companies which have gone into liquidation or receivership because of tax arrears; what has been the total value of these arrears; and how much has been recovered.
§ Mr. Ridley:In the year to March 1981, 348 companies were wound up on petitions presented by the Board of Inland Revenue and 879 on petitions presented by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise. Statistics distinguishing between the claims and recoveries made in these cases and those made in cases where winding-up was initiated by other creditors or on a company's own petition are not kept.