§ Mr. Bill O'BrienTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on personal allowances; and if he will make a statement. [101792]
§ Dawn PrimaroloEvery individual has their own income tax personal allowance. In his pre-Budget report on 9 November this year, the Chancellor announced that the personal allowance for people aged under 65 would be increased to £4,385 in 2000–01, in line with indexation. The alignment of the income tax personal allowance and the starting point for employers' NICs means that the level of both now needs to be announced in the Autumn. The Government keep all income tax allowances under review, and any other changes will be announced in the Budget in the usual way.