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TREASURY
Taxation
Mr. Hall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all tax threshold rates and personal allowances for each year since 1976-77 (i) at 1976 constant prices and (ii) at 1996 constant prices. [19813]
Mr. Jack: Available information is given in the table. As the retail price index is not yet available for calendar year 1996, earnings tax thresholds have been given at 1995 constant prices.
| Single person | Married man without children | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold at | ||||
| 1976 prices | 1995 prices | 1976 prices | 1995 prices | |
| 1976-77 | 707 | 2,647 | 1,044 | 3,908 |
| 1977-78 | 798 | 2,986 | 1,228 | 4,597 |
| 1978-79 | 768 | 2,874 | 1,196 | 4,479 |
| 1979-80 | 784 | 2,934 | 1,221 | 4,571 |
| 1980-81 | 795 | 2,976 | 1,240 | 4,642 |
| 1981-82 | 713 | 2,669 | 1,112 | 4,164 |
| 1982-83 | 758 | 2,839 | 1,185 | 4,435 |
| 1983-84 | 827 | 3,095 | 1,294 | 4,846 |
| 1984-85 | 883 | 3,307 | 1,390 | 5,204 |
| 1985-86 | 918 | 3,435 | 1,438 | 5,383 |
| 1986-87 | 941 | 3,524 | 1,473 | 5,516 |
| 1987-88 | 940 | 3,521 | 1,472 | 5,510 |
| 1988-89 | 953 | 3,567 | 1,498 | 5,607 |
| 1989-90 | 945 | 3,537 | 1,484 | 5,556 |
| 1990-91 | 930 | 3,481 | 1,462 | 5,474 |
| 1991-92 | 973 | 3,642 | 1,481 | 5,543 |
| 1992-93 | 986 | 3,693 | 1,479 | 5,536 |
| 1993-94(10) | 970 | 3,630 | 1,454 | 5,442 |
| 1994-95(10) | 944 | 3,533 | 1,415 | 5,296 |
| 1995-96(9) (10) | 929 | 3,478 | 1,269 | 4,751 |
| 1996-97(9) (10) | 971 | 3,633 | 1,317 | 4,929 |
(9) Provisional
(10) Assuming husband receives full married couple's allowance
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 52
Income Tax
Mr. Forman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 1996, Official Report, column 372, what would be the estimated full-year costs at 1996-97 income levels of introducing a single positive rate of income tax at 20 per cent., assuming transferable personal allowances of £5,000 per person and the abolition of all other tax expenditures, exemptions and reliefs now allowable against income tax. [20334]
Mr. Jack: The estimated full-year cost of introducing a single 20 per cent. rate of income tax at 1996-97 income levels would be about £12 billion. This assumes a personal allowance of £5,000 transferable between spouses and the abolition of all other income tax allowances, and mortgage interest relief, tax relief on employee's contributions to occupational and personal pension schemes, reliefs for TESSAs, PEPs and profit-related pay, national savings certificates, employee share schemes and charitable giving.
This estimate does not take into account the substantial behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of such a change nor do they allow for any subsequent changes to the tax system, such as changes to tax relief on employer's contributions to pension schemes or relief for investment income in pension funds.
Mr. Forman:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total cost of all tax expenditures, reliefs, exemptions and allowances allowable against income tax excluding personal allowances (a) in 1979, (b) 1983, (c) 1987, (d) 1992 and (e) in the latest year for which figures are available. [20343]
Mr. Jack:
The available historical information about the costs of income tax allowances and reliefs have been published in Inland Revenue Statistics. Table 1.6 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1995 contains figures for the latest years. Copies can be found in the Library.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total revenue that would be raised from personal income tax for the year 1996-97 if there were a flat rate of 20 per cent., no deductible allowances, but the first £10,000 of income was tax free. [20825]
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 53
Mr. Jack:
Available information was given in my answer to the hon. Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw) on 7 February 1996, Official Report, column 186.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of income tax is paid by the top 5 per cent. of income tax payers; and what was the figure in 1979. [20731]
Mr. Jack:
It is estimated that in 1996-97 the top 5 per cent. of income tax payers will pay 34 per cent. of the total income tax liability compared with 24 per cent. in 1978-79.
Mr. Blunkett:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines there are on income tax liability for Government grants made to individuals to meet the costs of non-statutory services. [19136]
Mr. Jack:
The income tax liability on any particular Government grant would depend on the nature of the grant and the circumstances of the individual. For example, a grant provided by Government which is not income or benefit from employment or profit from a trade or profession, would not be liable to income tax under schedule D or E.
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 54
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and its agencies in each of the past five years, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [19041]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
Available information in respect of the Treasury and the Chancellor's four agencies is as follows, all values being approximate:
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 53
Note:
No items lost or stolen are valued at £5,000 or more.
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 53
HM Treasury
Over the last five years 61 items have been recorded as stolen collectively valued at £31,000. The item valued over £5,000 is uninterruptable power supply, £9,000.
Paymaster Agency
No IT equipment was stolen in the last five years. Two other items were stolen in 1995-96, together valued at £520.
Royal Mint
No equipment stolen in the last five years.
Central Statistical Office
The total amount of equipment recorded as stolen is as follows:
1993-94: £3,590
1994-95: £300
1995-96: £5,500
No data exist for previous years. The only recorded loss over £5,000 occurred in 1995-96, this was a Panasonic Pentium laptop computer.
1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96
Items Value Items Value Items Value Items Value Items Value
£ £ £ £ £
56 6,439 14 1,010 47 28,699 31 7,655 11 990
5 330 5 1,206 6 300 13 825 7 352
3 6,000 4 8,000 52 44,830 51 27,300 32 61,300
Paymaster Agency
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if the staff of the Paymaster agency were consulted before the announcement of its privatisation; and if he will make a statement; [20610]
- (2) what length of notice the Paymaster agency gave to customer organisations regarding its intended privatisation; and if he will make a statement; [20607]
(3) what will be the length of the terms of contract to the successful bidder for the Paymaster agency in the event of privatisation and if he will make a statement; [20600]
(4) what assessment he has made of the benefits of privatising the Paymaster agency; [20669]
(5) what steps he is taking to protect the pension entitlements of staff of the Paymaster agency after privatisation; what assessment he has made of efficiency gains from the privatisation; and if he will make a statement; [20665]
(6) what value he has set on the skills of the Paymaster agency staff for the purposes of privatisation; and if he will make a statement; [20611]
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 54
(7) what factors led him to set the proposed time scale for privatising the Paymaster agency; and if he will make a statement; [20609]
(8) what public consultation process has been arranged in respect of privatising the Paymaster agency; and if he will make a statement; [20606]
(9) which functions of the Paymaster agency are to be sold in the course of its privatisation; and if he will make a statement. [20654]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: A prior options review of all the activities of the Paymaster agency was announced on 4 December 1995, Official Report, columns 15-16. The review still in progress, and no decision for or against privatisation has yet been taken.
All interested parties were invited in that announcement to submit contributions to the Treasury by 26 February. On the same day the agency's staff were advised of the review and my officials wrote to the relevant trade unions, customer organisations and pensioner bodies to solicit comments within the same period. The response has been very good, and the review team is pursuing specific points where appropriate.
18 Mar 1996 : Column: 55
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