HC Deb 25 July 1990 vol 177 cc233-4W
Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated average and median(a) original, (b) gross and (c) post-tax income in 1990–91.

Mr. Ryder

Estimates of original, gross and post-tax income are derived from the family expenditure survey. Latest figures are for 1987 and were published in the May 1990 edition ofEconomic Trends. Estimates for 1990 will be available in due course when the 1990 family expenditure survey is completed and processed.

Mr. Dewar

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the full report of the latest survey of personal incomes; and if he will make it his policy that the sample size in future surveys be sufficiently large to provide county-level estimates of the number of taxpayers, the number of higher-rate taxpayers, and of taxable income which are statistically reliable.

Mr. Ryder

A range of tables compiled from the latest survey of personal incomes will, as is now the practice, be published in the next edition of "Inland Revenue Statistics" before the end of the year. Other information has been extracted from the survey as needs arose, some of which has already been published.

All sample surveys are subject to some degree of statistical variation. The size of the sample of surveys of personal incomes must continue to be set with a view to meeting efficiently its primary purpose of providing information relevant to the costing of income tax proposals affecting the United Kingdom as a whole. As explained in the reply to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 12 June, column 152, investigation is continuing into the reliability of information at the county level. Publication of county data will be resumed as soon as possible.

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the latest estimates of(a) original, (b) gross and (c) post-tax income, by decile.

Mr. Ryder

The information for 1987, the latest available year, is given in the table:

Average household income per year1
Decile groups of equivalised disposable income Original income £ a year Gross income £ a year 2 Post-tax income £ a year
Bottom 958 3,975 2,367
2nd 1,489 4,819 3,187
3rd 2,573 5,503 3,630
4th 5,131 7,752 4,896
5th 7,944 10,082 6,236
6th 11,002 12,604 7,725
7th 12,865 14,088 8,649
8th 16,145 17,065 10,459
9th 19,975 20,694 12,764
Top 30,955 31,571 20,345
All households 10,904 12,816 8,026

Source:

Central Statistics Office.

1 Equivalisation is used only for ranking the households. The figures shown above refer to unequivalised income.

2 Post-tax income is after the deduction of direct taxes (eg income tax) and indirect taxes (eg VAT, petrol duty).

Note:

The figures are extracted from an article "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income, 1987" published in the May 1990 edition of Economic Trends.

Ms. Abbott

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average, and distribution of, household income of households which contain at least one person earning above the upper earnings limit who is on the basic rate of tax.

Mr. Ryder

I regret that the information requested is not readily available and would be disproportionately expensive to provide.