Tax Consultative Committee

HC Deb 18 July 1983 vol 46 c65W

Mr. Tim Smith

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the reply of 6 July, Official Report, c. 94, who are the outside members of the tax consultative committee.

Mr. Ridley

As I explained in my reply of 6 July—[Vol. 45, c.94] — the outside members of the tax consultative committee attend in a personal capacity because they are experts in their respective fields. The value of the committee to Ministers lies in the fact that these experts can give their personal opinions on current tax issues. If I were to make the current membership publicly known, the nature of the committee as an informal sounding board on tax matters of current interest might be impaired.