§ Mr. Nicholas BrownTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was paid per annum by a family consisting of a married man on half of average male earnings, his wife, and two children in 1978–79; and what is the most recent estimate.
§ Mrs. Gillian ShephardI regret that reliable estimates of amounts of indirect taxes paid by families are available 167W only for those earning between three quarters and one and a half times average male earnings. Outside this range error margins are too large for estimates to be meaningful.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amounts of VAT paid in Wales during 1990–91; and what is the estimated figure for the current financial year.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 3 March 1992]: Precise figures for VAT paid in Wales are not available, but it is estimated that the contribution to United Kingdom VAT in 1990–91 was around £11/2 billion. The estimate for 1991–92 is about £1.3 billion to £1.4 billion.