§ Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons who are working or are retired members of the working population have their tax papers and records at an Inland Revenue office in other than their area of residence; what is his policy on this matter; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RidleyAbout 11 million taxpayers, mainly employees in London and Scotland, are dealt with in specialised PAYE offices away from their area of residence. Others may not be dealt with locally because the operation of PAYE involves bringing together the records of employees or pensioners on a single payroll. The Inland Revenue has no information of the number affected here.
Most of the specialised PAYE offices were set up because of staffing difficulties in London or as part of the original computerisation plans for PAYE.
§ Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual cost involved in moving files and documents about the country to enable individuals with tax queries or problems to be interviewed near to their homes, together with the ancillary costs, such as telephone calls and additional secretarial time.
§ Mr. RidleyThe information on which to base an estimate is not available and could not be obtained without322W a wholly disproportionate cost. Only a very small proportion of interviews require movement of files and documents across the country.