§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral answer of 1 March 2001,Official Report, column 1022, from the Paymaster General, on what evidence she based her claim that the majority of employers have welcomed the Working Families Tax Credit. [155433]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe evidence is that over 1.1 million working families now receive WFTC—300,000 more than received Family Credit at its peak. Thanks to the generosity of WFTC awards, employers are now able to offer jobs to people who would otherwise face financial barriers to work. This is a significant benefit to employers and the economy as a whole. The CBI has supported the WFTC which it has described as playing
a key role in raising incentives to work by targeting additional resources on those people who are most likely to suffer from the poverty and unemployment traps".
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the entitlement to Working Families Tax Credit is of a lone parent with three children under 16 in receipt of child benefit and with eligible child care costs of £200 per week and gross earnings of(a) £34,000, (b) £40,000 and (c)£45,000. [155355]
§ Dawn Primarolo[holding answer 23 March 2001]: Whether such families are entitled to Working Families Tax Credit, and the sizes of their awards, depends on other conditions, including their savings. The Inland Revenue booklet WFTC/BK1, "Your Guide to Working Families' Tax Credit" explains how to calculate whether a family is entitled to an award, and its size. A copy is available on the Inland Revenue website:www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk. The values of the various 532W credits, and the income threshold, for 2000–01 and 2001–02 are shown in Table A.3 of the Budget 2001 Red Book.