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TREASURY
VAT (Places of Worship)
Mr. David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what comments he has received from individual churches about the proposals of the Chancellor to reduce VAT on certain works on church buildings. [139896]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government have received comments indicating that a reduced rate for repairs to listed places of worship would be very welcome.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in efforts to reduce VAT on church repairs; and if he will make a statement. [139895]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) on 16 November 2000, Official Report, column 759W.
Tax Revenues
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax revenues in the year 1999-2000 was tendered in (a) euros and (b) other foreign currencies. [134227]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 26 October 2000]: The total tax receipt for Inland Revenue in the year 1999-2000 was £139 billion. Of this, £10.8 million was tendered in euro and £1.8 million in other foreign currencies. The total net tax receipt for HM Customs and Excise in the year 1999-2000 was £97 billion. Of this, £6.5 million was tendered in euro. A further £105,000 was tendered in the form of cheques denominated in other foreign currencies. HM Customs and Excise do not separately record electronic payments in other foreign currencies. By adding individual electronic payments made through CHAPS, HM Customs and Excise have estimated that £63 million was tendered in the form of electronic payments in other foreign currencies during March 2000.
National Insurance Fund
Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) of 2 November 2000, Official Report, column 575W, for how many years the National Insurance Fund will remain in surplus over and above the
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recommended surplus if contribution rates remain unchanged and contribution thresholds are uprated in line with average earnings. [137524]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 9 November 2000]: The number of years for which the National Insurance Fund would remain in surplus over and above the recommended surplus would be reduced by one year if contribution thresholds were increased by average earnings.
Ultra-low Sulphur Petrol
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to press release HMT/DETR1 of 8 November, when he expects the oil companies will provide nationwide availability of ultra-low sulphur petrol. [138228]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 13 November 2000]: As announced in the pre-Budget report, the Government will reduce duty on ultra-low sulphur petrol (ULSP) by 2 pence a litre subject to oil companies making this fuel available nationwide.
ULSP is already on sale at some petrol stations and oil companies have indicated that they expect to make it available nationwide during next year.
National Insurance
Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual cost of lowering the national insurance lower earnings limit to £59.20 per week. [139304]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 20 November 2000]: Lowering the lower earnings limit to £59.20 per week in 2001-02 would lead to a full year reduction of £420 million in National Insurance contributions.
This estimate was produced by the Government Actuary's Department and is in line with the pre-Budget report assumptions.
IR35
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the median income for each quartile of taxpayers whose tax liability will change as a consequence of the introduction of IR35; and if he will make a statement; [139420]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the number of persons whose tax liability will change as a consequence of the introduction of IR35; and if he will make a statement; [139419]
(3) what projections he has made of the change in tax liabilities of a person on the median income of each quartile of taxpayers whose liability will change as a consequence of IR35; and if he will make a statement. [139421]
Dawn Primarolo: It is estimated that 90,000 companies will be affected by the introduction of the new legislation to tackle avoidance of tax and National Insurance Contributions through the use of personal service companies. Information on the number of persons or taxpayers affected is not available.
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Stamp Duty
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residential property sales took place in each of the last three years which were not eligible for stamp duty. [139166]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 20 November 2000]: Estimates of the number of residential property sales in the United Kingdom which were not liable to stamp duty since the sale price did not exceed £60,000, are as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 750,000 |
| 1998-99 | 660,000 |
| 1999-2000 | 660,000 |
In each of these years the number of non-liable residential transactions were estimated to be over two fifths of the total residential transactions.
Residential Conversions
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the document Cm 4917 paragraph 6.80, concerning residential conversions, how many staff will be employed to ensure enhanced relief does not subsidise high value properties; and what the cost of each of the three measures outlined is estimated to be. [139760]
Dawn Primarolo: Customs and Inland Revenue will not need extra staff to assure the package of measures for property conversions.
Scottish Euro Notes
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy towards the retention of distinctive Scottish euro notes in the eventuality of the United Kingdom joining the euro. [139791]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to Article 106(1) (ex Article 105a) of the Treaty establishing the European Community.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the annual savings in Working Families Tax Credit expenditure (a) with the minimum wage at £3.70 per hour and (b) if the minimum wage were £5.10 per hour; [140260]
- (2) if he will estimate the increase in tax and national insurance revenue to the Exchequer in the financial year 2001-02 as a result of (a) raising the rate of the national minimum wage for adults to £5.10 and (b) reducing the age for adult rates of the national minimum wage from 22 to 18 years, if the national minimum wage were (i) £3.70 and (ii) £5.10. [140215]
Dawn Primarolo: An estimate of the saving in Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) expenditure in the period October 1999 to March 2000 as a result of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the adult rate of £3.60 per hour, appears at Table 3.2 in the Second Report of the Low Pay Commission. A copy is in the Library.
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It is not possible to estimate accurately the potential impact on the labour market of raising the adult rate of the NMW to £5.10 per hour, or of reducing the minimum age for qualifying for the adult rate. No reliable estimates can therefore be provided of the effects of these changes on WFTC expenditure, or on tax and national insurance revenue.
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a breakdown of those who have benefited from the national minimum wage by (a) region, (b) gender, (c) occupation and (d) employment status; [140257]
- (2) if he will provide a breakdown of those employed in jobs with pay less than the national minimum wage by (a) gender, (b) region, (c) employment status and (d) occupation. [140258]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Huw Edwards, dated 28 November 2000:
- The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions on the national minimum wage (NMW) (140257/8). I am replying in his absence.
- ONS has estimates of employees with pay less than NMW rates for spring 1998, 1999 and 2000 (£3.00 per hour aged 18-21 and £3.60 per hour aged 22 or over) disaggregated by gender, full- and part-time, industry sector, occupation and Government Office Region. These estimates were released on 10th November 2000 and are posted on the National Statistics website, reference:
- http://www.statistics.gov.uk/themes/labour-market/nmw-lowpay-tables.asp
- They are based on an improved methodology which uses data from both the New Earnings Survey (NES) and the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
- The estimates cannot be used as a measure of non-compliance with NMW legislation because it is not possible from either the LFS or the NES to identify whether an individual is eligible for NMW rates. For example it is not possible to identify people such as apprentices and those undergoing accredited training who are exempt from the minimum wage or are entitled to lower rates.
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