§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the costs of collecting income tax in each of the previous five years; and if he will express each figure as a percentage of total income tax receipts and give comparative percentages where the data are available for other European Community countries and for Sweden and the United States of America.
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§ Mr. Norman LamontThe costs of collecting income tax in the United Kingdom, and costs as a percentage of total income tax receipts were as follows:
Cost as percentage of total income tax receipts Cost (£ million) Percentage 1983 676.3 2.17 1984 730.3 2.25 1985 803.9 2.27 1986 882.9 2.29 1987 931.5 2.25 Comparable data for other countries are not available because of the differences in the tax system and the arrangements for administration and collection.