§ Miss Widdecombeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment has been made of the effect of the community charge on small businesses in the 421W Maidstone area; and what steps he will consider taking to alleviate the adverse consequences of any sudden increase in payments due from minor but viable concerns with small profit margins.
§ Mr. HowardThe community charge will replace domestic rates and should not affect businesses directly. The proposal for a national non-domestic rate on present figures would initially increase rate poundages in the Maidstone area, but thereafter restrain further increases to the rate of inflation. My right hon. Friend has already announced generous transitional arrangements to phase the impact of this proposal and the revaluation of non-domestic properties over five years, or longer in the case of those properties with the largest increases from the revaluation.
§ Mr. Win Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated revenue for each local authority in England when the new business rate and poll tax are levied in full on religious establishments and their residents.
§ Mr. HowardThe information needed to make such estimates is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to his answer of 29 June, Official Report, column 44, he will publish additional information exemplifying the community charge proposals, to show specifically the effect on each of the illustrative community charge figures of the difference between the amount of revenue likely to be obtained by each local authority from a centrally fixed non-domestic rate and the amount of revenue from locally determined non-domestic rates projected for 1987–88 under the existing system.
§ Mr. HowardI shall write to my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Win Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate how many second homes in each borough in England will not be rated when the poll tax is operating in full; and what will be the loss of revenue on present charges for each borough as a result of this.
§ Mr. HowardAll second homes will be liable for a standard community charge, which will be set by each local authority as a multiple of the personal community charge, up to a maximum of two units of personal charge.
§ Mr. Win Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated revenue for each local authority in England when the new business rate is levied in full on private and local authority residential establishments catering for old people and the poll tax is levied in full upon the residents.
§ Mr. HowardThe information needed to make such estimates is not collected centrally. Final decisions on the treatment of such establishments under the new system have not been taken. However, we have already made it clear that residents of old people's homes will be exempt from the community charge.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to make special provision under the community charge for ministers of religion.
§ Mr. Howard[pursuant to his reply, 6 July 1987, c. 56]: The community charge will be paid by all adults, with only limited exceptions. As a result, local accountability will be 422W restored, because the cost of local spending will be spread much more widely than at present among those entitled to vote in local elections and who use local services.
Against this background, the Government believe that it would be difficult to justify any special provision which resulted in ministers of religion being treated more favourably than their parishioners.