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Conveyancing
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what evidence his Department has collected concerning the extent to which agreed property prices in London are banded at values just below the stamp duty thresholds; [110639]
- (2) what steps he is taking to prevent purchasers of property from avoiding stamp duty by schemes to apportion the purchase price between taxable and non-taxable items; [110640]
(3) what evidence his Department has collected concerning property purchasers avoiding higher rates of stamp duty by apportioning the purchase price between taxable and non-taxable items. [110644]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 17 February 2000]: Only a very small proportion of property deals in London are agreed at amounts just below one of the stamp duty thresholds.
Stamp duty is charged on a conveyance for sale of land and buildings. Where the total consideration for a sale includes non-dutiable items, such as chattels, the value of those items can properly be deducted from the total in order to calculate the amount to which ad valorem stamp duty applies. The Stamp Office examines documents presented for stamping as well as the associated Certificates of Value and other legal documentation and makes further inquiries where it is appropriate to do so. Adjustments to the tax charge are made in a handful of cases each year but there is no evidence of widespread overstatement of the value of non-dutiable items. It follows that there is no need for additional steps to counter avoidance or other abuse in relation to the apportionment of purchase prices.
Tobacco Smuggling
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the full report on tobacco smuggling prepared by Martin Taylor, adviser to HM Customs and Excise; [110751]
- (2) if he will publish the papers and correspondence accompanying the report on tobacco smuggling prepared by Martin Taylor; [110750]
(3) what advice he has received from Martin Taylor on the UK levels of tobacco duty in addition to his report on tobacco smuggling. [110752]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for Hackney, South and Shoreditch (Mr. Sedgemore) on 17 January 2000, Official Report, column 351W.
Working Families Tax Credit
Mr. Coleman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what level per week of housing benefit individuals entitled to receive working families tax credit lose benefit. [110500]
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Dawn Primarolo: The amount of Housing Benefit that a family is entitled to is dependent on the eligible rent, net income, and an applicable amount based on family circumstances. For those in receipt of the Working Families' Tax Credit, which is part of net income for Housing Benefit purposes, Housing Benefit is not affected if net income is less than or equal to the applicable amount. For those with net incomes greater than applicable amounts, Housing Benefit is reduced by 65 per cent. of the difference between net income and the applicable amount.
Inflation
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what plans he has to produce inflation statistics at a regional level; [110822]
- (2) what recent research his Department has undertaken on the cost of living and the rate of inflation in (a) different regions of Britain and (b) households of different compositions and characteristics. [110003]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
21 Feb 2000 : Column: 770W
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 21 February 2000:
- As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions on recent research on the cost of living and rate of inflation.
- The latest research completed on regional RPIs was discussed by the 1971 RPI Advisory Committee. The ONS has not conducted research into regional differences in the cost-of-living.
- The ONS is aware of the growing demand for regional data in general and possible regional differences in inflation rates were an issue raised in the July 1999 report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Monetary Policy Committee. The development of regional inflation measures would need to resolve a number of technical matters and would involve large additional expenditure to cover expansions of price collection and of the Family Expenditure Survey. The ONS regularly consults with users about their needs and evaluates these relative to other priorities in the context of its annual planning round.
- No research has recently been undertaken on differential inflation rates and cost-of-living for different population sub-groups. However, the ONS produces a retail prices pensioner index, which is published quarterly in Business Monitor MM23: The Retail Price Index. An example is attached.
- The RPI (all items index) covers private households but excludes (a) the households whose total income lies within the top four per cent of all households incomes, and (b) pensioner households which derive at least three quarters of their total income from state pensions and benefits. The latter decision was taken as a result of an RPI Advisory Committee recommendation (Report on Revision of the Index of Retail Prices, March 1962).
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| One-person pensioner households | Two-person pensioner households | Retail Prices Index (31) (excluding housing) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | |
| Quarterly Indices | ||||||||||||
| 1989 | 108.0 | 110.0 | 111.0 | 113.2 | 108.2 | 110.4 | 111.3 | 113.4 | 109.0 | 111.2 | 112.0 | 113.7 |
| 1990 | 115.3 | 118.1 | 119.9 | 122.4 | 115.4 | 118.3 | 120.2 | 122.6 | 115.3 | 118.5 | 120.3 | 122.6 |
| 1991 | 123.8 | 127.4 | 128.5 | 129.9 | 123.7 | 128.0 | 128.9 | 130.4 | 123.4 | 128.5 | 129.8 | 131.5 |
| 1992 | 130.8 | 132.2 | 131.6 | 132.6 | 131.5 | 133.2 | 132.6 | 133.7 | 132.3 | 134.8 | 134.5 | 135.6 |
| 1993 | 133.6 | 135.0 | 134.8 | 135.0 | 134.7 | 136.8 | 136.8 | 136.8 | 136.0 | 138.8 | 139.1 | 139.5 |
| 1994 | 135.1 | 137.7 | 137.4 | 137.8 | 137.3 | 139.6 | 139.4 | 139.9 | 140.0 | 141.9 | 141.8 | 142.4 |
| 1995 | 139.1 | 140.7 | 141.0 | 141.7 | 141.4 | 143.1 | 143.5 | 144.2 | 143.7 | 145.5 | 145.9 | 146.5 |
| 1996 | 142.8 | 144.3 | 144.1 | 144.3 | 145.5 | 147.2 | 147.1 | 147.6 | 147.6 | 149.4 | 149.7 | 150.7 |
| 1997 | 144.4 | 145.4 | 145.6 | 146.1 | 147.9 | 149.0 | 149.5 | 150.1 | 151.2 | 152.6 | 153.4 | 154.3 |
| 1998 | 146.0 | 147.5 | 147.5 | 148.6 | 150.1 | 151.8 | 151.9 | 152.8 | 154.5 | 156.4 | 156.4 | 157.3 |
| 1999 | 148.9 | -- | -- | -- | 153.3 | -- | -- | -- | 157.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| Percentage changes over a year earlier | ||||||||||||
| 1989 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.6 |
| 1990 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 7.8 |
| 1991 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.3 |
| 1992 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 6.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 7.2 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 3.1 |
| 1993 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.9 |
| 1994 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| 1995 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| 1996 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
| 1997 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| 1998 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| 1999 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- | 2.1 | -- | -- | -- | 1.9 | -- | -- | -- |
(31) The Retail Prices Index covers the goods and services purchased by all households apart from those pensioner households defined above and the top 4 per cent of the income distribution
Source:
Office for National Statistics
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21 Feb 2000 : Column: 771W
(32) Seasonal foods have a total weight of 53 for one person pensioner households and a total weight of 47 for two person pensioner households
Source:
Office for National Statistics
21 Feb 2000 : Column: 773W
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