§ Mr. Horamasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in accordance with the note by the Treasury at appendix 5 of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee report. Session 1981–82 on "The Government's Economic Policy: Autumn Review" and with the answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Cunningham), on 23 November 1982, Official Report, c. 418, he will update the figures for 1982–83 and for 1983–84 on the basis of announced changes for those on 75 per cent., 100 per cent., 200 per cent. and 500 per cent. of national average earnings, for single, married, and married plus two children families, including data on gross earnings, income tax, national insurance contributions, child benefit, net earnings and indirect taxes in each case and for 1983–84 using the Red Book forecast
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 18 March 1983, c. 283]: The available information is given in the following table, which shows the number of people paying income tax and the number of people paying some class 1 and 2 national insurance contributions during each year from 1975–76 onwards. In the latter series of figures, people whose earnings were below the lower earnings limit throughout the year are excluded but it has not been practicable to estimate the number of people whose earnings exceeded the upper earnings limit. Comparable information about contributors is not available for years up to 1971–72 and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost for the years 1972–73 to 1974–75. Numbers of taxpayers for years before 1975–76 were quoted in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield and Tamworth (Mr. Heddle) on 1 March 1983. —[Vol. 38, c. 99.]
Year Number of income taxpayers* (millions) (A) Number of contributors (million) (B) B ÷ A per cent. 1975–76 25.4 25.2 99 1976–77 26.0 25.4 98 1977–78 25.1 25.5 102 1978–79 26.2 25.5 97 1979–80 26.1 25.8 99 1980–81 25.2 †24.3 96 1981–82 †25.l ‡ — 1982–83 †24.9 ‡ — * Husband and wife both paying tax are counted as two taxpayers. † Provisional. ‡ Not available