§ Mr. JoplingTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what savings in manpower and money he hopes to make in the Inland Revenue as a result of the changes to the taxation system which he announced in his Budget.
§ Mr. Lawson[holding answer 21 March 1988]: Apart from the proposal for the independent taxation of husbands and wives, my Budget proposals (taken as a whole) would lead to significant reductions in Inland Revenue staff numbers. However, these are more than offset by the effects of independent taxation, which increases the number of taxpayers. The net result will be broadly neutral in 1988–89; an increase of around 100 staff in 1989–90; and larger increases in subsequent years.