§ Mr. HawkinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much VAT he estimates his announcement on 14 March means will not have to be paid by AOL; and how much VAT for identical services will have to be paid by(a) BT Open World and (b) Freeserve; [45009]
(2) with reference to his announcement of 14 March concerning the VAT treatment of internet service providers, if he will place in the Library a list of the (a) consultations Customs and Excise and the Treasury made with UK ISPs, together with copies of the responses to the consultation and (b) meetings which Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and Treasury Ministers and officials had with persons employed by or on behalf of AOL. [45157]
§ Mr. BoatengAs part of their review of the VAT treatment of internet service packages, Customs sought input from a range of interested bodies, including major internet service providers. However, this process was not undertaken as a formal consultation exercise, and there are therefore no formal consultation responses available for publication. Customs are debarred by statute form disclosing details of individual taxpayers' or companies' affairs.