HC Deb 25 January 2001 vol 361 cc704-5W
23. Mr. Pike

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families he estimates will benefit in(a) the north-west and (b) the United Kingdom from tax changes in the next financial year. [145815]

Dawn Primarolo

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will give his tax proposals for 2001–02 in the next Budget but all taxpaying families for that year should benefit from the increase in the personal allowance announced in the pre-Budget report. Additionally, the new children's tax credit to be introduced in April 2001 should benefit around 5 million families in the UK, 625,000 of whom live in the north-west. And over 1.1 million families should benefit from the increase in the rates and thresholds for the Working Families Tax Credit announced on 9 November 2000,Official Report, column 340W, over 160,000 of whom live in the north-west.