§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current estimate of the tax yield from claimants of incapacity benefit; and how many claimants had tax deducted from their benefit by the Benefits Agency, during (i) 1995–96 and (ii) 1996–97 to date. [15417]
§ Mr. JackThe estimated tax yield from taxable incapacity benefit for 1996–97 is about £60 million.
The number of claimants who had no other source of income from which the tax could be collected and who have had the tax deducted from their benefit by the Benefits Agency in 1995–96 is about 25,000. A reliable estimate for 1996–97 to date is not available.