HC Deb 08 April 1987 vol 114 cc262-4W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the numbers and estimated cost of the wife's earned income allowance in the next financial year by range of the wife's income and of the joint incomes of husband and wife.

Mr. Norman Lamont

[pursuant to his reply, 23 March 1987, c. 40]:The latest estimates are given in the tables. They are based on a projection from the 1984–85 survey of personal incomes and are therefore provisional. They exclude wives who have no Inland Revenue tax record because their earnings are below the PAYE reporting limit.

Numbers and cost of the wife's earned income allowance, 1987–88 by range of wife's income1
Wife's income1 lower limit (£ pa) Number of earning wives2 '000s) Cost of wife's earned income allowance3(£ million)
1 960 105
1,000 1,010 385
2,000 1,150 700
3,000 830 550
4,000 590 390
5,000 560 385
6,000 600 415
7,000 380 265
8,000 280 200
9,000 170 135
10,000 300 265
12,000 170 165
15,000 70 75
20,000 20 30
30,000 10 15
All ranges 7,100 4,080
1 Wife's total earned income.
2All married women with earned income benefit from the wife's earned income allowance. The figures exclude those with earnings below the PAYE reporting limit and self-employed wives making a net loss.
3 Including personal allowance claimed by wives with separate earnings election.

Distribution of total income11987–88
Numbers
Tax units aged under 65 Tax units aged over 65
Range of total income Lower limit (£ pa) Single people ('000s) Married couples without wife's earned income ('000s) Married couples with wife's earned income ('000s) Single people ('000s) Married couples without wife's earned income ('000s) Married couples with wife's earned income ('000s)
1,0002 1,120 170 30 30 20 5
2,0002 1,150 260 60 460 30 10
3,000 900 160 70 360 120 30
4,000 900 190 100 220 210 110
5,000 1,070 240 140 140 220 90
6,000 910 280 140 100 110 80
7,000 810 310 170 90 90 70
8,000 690 380 210 60 80 60
9,000 560 370 280 50 40 50
10,000 800 820 700 60 60 70
12,000 500 860 1,230 60 40 70
15,000 320 570 1,650 40 40 70
20,000 100 190 710 20 20 50
25,000 50 100 340 10 10 10
30,000 40 110 380 10 20 20
50,000 20 50 70 5 10 10
1 Total income for income tax purposes.
2 Excluding those who have no Inland Revenue tax record because their earnings are below the PAYE reporting limit.

Numbers and cost of the wife's earned income allowance, 1987–88 by range of joint total income of husband and wife1
Joint total income1 lower limit (£ pa) Number of earning wives2 ('000s) Cost of wife's earned income allowance3 (£ million)
1 20 0
1,000 30 0
2,000 70 0
3,000 110 0
4,000 200 15
5,000 220 55
6,000 220 50
7,000 240 110
8,000 280 125
9,000 330 160
10,000 770 390
12,000 1,300 725
15,000 1,720 1,035
20,000 1,120 830
30,000 470 545
All ranges 7,100 4,080
1 Total income for income tax purposes
2 All married women with earned income benefit from the wife's earned income allowance. The figures exclude those with earnings below the PAYE reporting limit and self-employed wives making a net loss.
3 Including personal allowance claimed by wives with separate earnings election.

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