HC Deb 30 July 1997 vol 299 cc343-4W
Mr. Grieve

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many VAT-registrable businesses there were in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. [10838]

Dawn Primarolo

[holding answer 28 July 1997]: Customs does not hold information on the number of VAT-registrable businesses in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. However, the number of businesses actually registered for VAT in the UK in each financial year since 1983 was as follows:

Financial year Registered businesses
1983–84 1,433,100
1984–85 1,458,900
1985–86 1,477,400
1986–87 1,505,500
1987–88 1,554,000
1988–89 1,623,866
1989–90 1,710,106
1990–91 1,745,097
1991–92 1,677,829
1992–93 1,632,013
1993–94 1,593,770
1994–95 1,579,869
1995–96 1,573,620
1996–97 1,595,271