HC Deb 25 October 1982 vol 29 cc314-5W
Sir Brandon Rhys Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish in theOfficial Reportthe letter from the Under-Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Kensington, dated 29 June, showing families and adults in full-time work with marginal tax rates in 1979 of over 40 per cent.; and if he will also publish similar figures relating to people in part-time work.

Mr. Newton:

The text of my letter, dated 29 June 1982, to my hon. Friend was as follows: You will recall that when I wrote to you on 31 March I promised to let you have an estimate from the 1979 Family Expenditure Survey (FES) data of the number of families facing marginal tax rates of between 40 and 50 per cent. The estimates are now available and are given in the table below. I have also included in the table estimates of numbers theoretically facing higher marginal tax rates. All the estimates have been analysed in the way you requested.

Families with Children Under Pension Age in Full-time Work by Marginal Tax Rate—1979
(Great Britain)
Marginal tax rate per cent. Families Adults in families Persons in families
40 but less than 50 130,000 250,000 530,000
50 but less than 75 130,000 220,000 480,000
75 but less than 100 60,000 100,000 260,000
100 or more 30,000 50,000 130,000
TOTAL 350,000 620,000 1,400,000

Families and Single People Without Children Under Pension Age in Full-time Work by Marginal Tax Rate—1979
Marginal tax rate per cent. Families Adults in families
40 but less than 50 70,000 120,000
50 or more 50,000 70,000
TOTAL 120,000 190,000

The estimated numbers in these tables have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 and are subject to statistical error. They relate only to people living in private households. Higher rate tax payers have been excluded.

I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible about information relating to the number of part-time workers with marginal tax rates of 40 per cent. or more.