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14 Jun 2005 : Column 347W—continued
Tax Levels
Mr. Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reduce levels of tax paid by low andmiddle income earners; and if he will make a statement. [3200]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government keep all taxes under review; announcements about taxation are made within the Budget cycle.
The Government are keen to use targeted measures to ensure that help goes to those that need it most.
Personal tax and benefit measures introduced since 1997 mean that by October 2005 a single earner family on male average earnings and with two children will be £205 a year better off in real terms and the same family on half male average earnings will be £3,700 a year better off in real terms.
Mr. Walker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of levels of taxation applied to property in (a) the UK, (b) continental Europe and (c) USA; and if he will make a statement. [3203]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Measures introduced in Budget 2005 mean that 89 per cent. of property transactions pay either no or 1 per cent. stamp duty land tax and the vast majority—currently around 94 per cent—of estates will continue to pay no inheritance tax. The Government have also stated that gains arising on disposal of a principal private residence will continue to be exempt from capital gains tax.
International comparisons of taxes for each sector of the economy using published data (for example from the OECD) can be misleading, because similar taxes in two countries may be classified as falling on different bases. However the level of property taxation has remained broadly constant in the UK, EU15 and the USA since
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of taxpayers in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK paid tax at the (i)
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basic rate and (ii) higher rate in (A) 1992, (B) 1997, (C) 2001 and (D) the latest year for which figures are available. [3399]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the estimated number of income taxpayers in the UK for the years since 1992–93 is available in table 2.1 'Number of individual income taxpayers' on the HM Revenue and Customs internet website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2–1.pdf.
Similar information on the estimated number of income taxpayers in Lancashire for the years 1992–93 and 1997–98 is not available.
Information on the number of number and percentage of taxpayers in Lancashire in 2001–02 and 2002–03 (the latest year for which figures are available) is provided in the following table.
| 2001–02 | 2002–03 | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic rate | ||
| Number (thousands) | 424 | 436 |
| Percentage | 77.4 | 77.4 |
| Higher rate | ||
| Number (thousands) | 44 | 44 |
| Percentage | 8.0 | 7.8 |
| All taxpayers | ||
| Number (thousands) | 548 | 563 |
| Percentage | 100 | 100 |
The all taxpayers figures include all those paying tax at the starting rate, savers rate, basic rate and higher rate.
The income tax information is based upon the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI).
Tax System (1997)
Mr. Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the disincentives to work that existed within the tax system in 1997. [3150]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The work incentive problems that existed in 1997 were analysed in Work Incentives: A Report by Martin Taylor", the second paper in HM Treasury's reports on modernising the tax and benefit system. The report is available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/2BF/88/taylor.pdf
Taxation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of taxation on the state of the economy. [3751]
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John Healey: The Government's macro-economic framework has consistently delivered stability with strong growth and low inflation, thus establishing a track record that has been internationally acknowledged. The Government's approach to taxation balances the need to finance better quality public services, deliver fairness and promote sustainable development while ensuring that the UK benefits from the advantages of being a lightly taxed economy.
Teenage Pregnancies
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by year group. [4638]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Tim Loughton, dated 14 June 2005:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by year group. I am replying in his absence. (4638)
The most recent year for which conception statistics are available is 2003 and figures for this year are provisional estimates. The data requested are given in the table below.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 33,794 |
| 1995 | 35,371 |
| 1996 | 40,558 |
| 1997 | 40,463 |
| 1998 | 41,089 |
| 1999 | 39,247 |
| 2000 | 38,699 |
| 2001 | 38,461 |
| 2002 | 39,350 |
| 2003(39) | 39,571 |
(39) Provisional estimates.
Telephone use
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the Department's policy on the private use of official telephones and how it is monitored. [4529]
John Healey: Treasury staff are allowed to make reasonable private use of the Department's official telephones.
Calls are not monitored. If misuse is suspected, then the destination of all calls placed can be recorded.
Trade Union Learning Representatives
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many trade union learning representatives there are in his Department. [3314]
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John Healey: The Treasury does not have any trade union learning representatives, as the trade unions have not yet approached the Department on this issue or nominated anyone for the role.
VAT
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of irrecoverable VAT incurred by (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges in each of the last 10 financial years. [4519]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold data about the level of irrecoverable VAT incurred by sixth form and further education colleges. However VAT incurred by sixth form and further education colleges is included in the funding they receive from central Government.
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges are registered for VAT purposes. [4523]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs do not collect data on the number of sixth form and further education colleges registered for VAT. HM Revenue and Customs do hold information on the number of VAT registered traders in the education sector and sub-sectors which is shown in the table.
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