§ Sir Dudley SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the current position with regard to EEC proposals on the future of duty-free shops; and what stance is being taken by Her Majesty's Government on this issue.
§ Mr. LilleyThis is presented by the Commission as a proposal consequential to its main proposals for tax approximation which are still under discussion in the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Brussels. The United Kingdom has fundamental difficulties with the European Commission's central proposal, which we believe to be unnecessary for the completion of the single market.
There are no EC proposals which would affect the sales of duty-free goods to passengers travelling to and from destinations outside the EC.