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Taxpayers: High Income Statistics
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will give, for the most recent year for which figures are available, the number of United Kingdom taxpayers whose personal taxable income exceeded £100,000, £500,000, £1 million, £5 million and £10 million respectively.[HL1695]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The available estimates for the number of taxpayers in 1996-97, the latest year for which figures are available, are given in the table.
| Taxable income | Number of taxpayers |
| Above £100,000 | 128,000 |
| Above £500,000 | 7,000 |
| Above £1,000,000 | 2,000 |
| Above £5,000,000 | 100 |
A separate figure is not available for the over
£10 million category.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to reply.
Letter to Lord Pearson of Rannoch from the Director of the Office for National Statistics, Tim Holt, dated
31 March 1999.
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on gross domestic product (GDP).
The export component of GDP reported as going to the EU does not contain the value of goods which pass in transit through another member state for onward transmission to non-EU countries. These are recorded in UK statistics within the category of exports to non-EU countries.
Lord Shore of Stepney asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 18 January (WA 89-90), what proportion of the 14.4 per cent. of the United Kingdom gross domestic product (GDP) which went to the European Union (EU) continued to a final destination outside the EU, particularly via the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.[HL1734]
With reference to decisions on Euroland interest rates made by the European Central Bank, whether the Bank's Governing Council acts by a simple majority vote in which, together with the Executive Board, each governor of the Bank of each state has the same equal vote, regardless of size and wealth of the different member states; or whether bank rate decisions are made by a qualified majority vote or by a vote weighted according to the population and GDP of each member state; and on what decisions made by the Governing Council voting takes place on the
31 Mar 1999 : Column WA55
- basis of the weighting of each country's vote according to its population size and its GDP.[HL1570]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In accordance with Article 10.2 of the ESCB Statute, Protocol No. 3 to the EC Treaty, decisions on euro interest rates are taken by the ECB Governing Council acting by a simple majority. In the event of a tie, the President has the casting vote.
In accordance with Article 10.3 of the ESCB Statute, for decisions taken under Articles 28, 29, 30, 32, 33 and 51 of the ESCB Statute, votes in the Governing Council are weighted according to national central banks' shares in the subscribed capital of the ECB. The weights of votes of members of the Executive Board will be zero. A decision requiring a qualified majority shall be adopted if the votes cast in favour represent at least two thirds of the subscribed capital of the ECB and represent at least half of the shareholders.
European Community Budget: UK Contribution 1973 to 1998
Lord Shore of Stepney asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the total net sum of the United Kingdom's payments to the European Community Budget since 1973; what was the net sum paid in the last financial year; and what is the estimated payment in the current year.[HL1715]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The United Kingdom's total net contribution to the European Community Budget for the period 1973-74 to 1997-98 was £31,286 million. The Government's latest estimates of the UK's net contributions to the EC Budget in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 are set out in Tables 7A and 7B, respectively, of the 1999 Departmental Report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments (Cm 4218).
Petrol Tax: International Comparison
Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What tax is levied on petrol in pence per litre in each member state of the European Union, and in the United States.[HL1500]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The United Kingdom rates shown below are those applying since the Budget on 9 March 1999, published in Customs & Excise Budget Notice 6/99.
For other European Union member states the figures relate to January 1999, as shown in the Oil Bulletin published by the European Commission. The rates for the United States of America and Canada are for the fourth quarter of 1998 from Prices and Taxes Table 1, published by the International Energy Agency.
| Leaded Petrol | Unleaded Petrol | |||||
| Excise Duty pence per litre | VAT pence per litre | Excise Duty pence per litre | VAT pence per litre | |||
| Austria | n/a | n/a | 29.19 | 8.75 | ||
| Belgium | 39.83 | 10.80 | 35.73 | 9.90 | ||
| Denmark | n/a | n/a | 35.68 | 11.89 | ||
| Finland | n/a | n/a | 39.43 | 11.23 | ||
| France | 44.85 | 10.94 | 41.52 | 10.37 | ||
| Germany | 38.90 | n/a | 35.30 | 7.29 | ||
| Greece | 25.92 | 6.80 | 22.44 | 6.28 | ||
| Ireland | 32.22 | 10.02 | 26.68 | 8.34 | ||
| Italy | 40.73 | 10.66 | 38.16 | 10.19 | ||
| Luxembourg | 28.13 | 6.09 | 24.46 | 4.41 | ||
| Netherlands | 41.31 | n/a | 41.33 | 9.60 | ||
| Portugal | 37.21 | 8.27 | 35.12 | 7.97 | ||
| Spain | 28.51 | 6.47 | 26.18 | 6.03 | ||
| Sweden | n/a | n/a | 34.30 | 11.75 | ||
| United Kingdom | 52.88 | 11.01 | 47.21 | 9.93 | ||
| United States of America | n/a | n/a | 6.12 | -- | ||
n/a: Leaded petrol is either not available or consumption is so low that a price is no longer supplied, therefore the VAT cannot be calculated.
The United States of America does not have a tax comparable to VAT.
The exchange rates used to convert foreign tax rates into sterling for the European Union member states are those published by the European Commission for 11 January 1999. Those for the United States of America and Canada are for January 1999, taken from the Office of National Statistics publication Financial Statistics, February 1999 edition table 7.1A.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Further to the Answer given on 11 January, none of the relevant UK authorities (that is, the Crown Prosecution Service or the Serious Fraud Office) have any proceedings pending with regard to prosecution of any officials or staff of the European Union. None of the cases recently identified by the Committee of Independent Experts involved UK nationals, or concerned events within the UK's jurisdiction, and in any case it is not yet known whether they will lead to any prosecutions. If the noble Lord has evidence of any official or member of staff or Commissioner of the EU committing an offence involving serious or complex fraud he should refer the matter to the Director of the Serious Fraud Office.
Lord Barnett asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Copies of a Statement of Funding Policy have today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament. This document fulfils the Government's commitment to make the financial arrangements with the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly a matter of public record.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): We are unaware of any lawful political parties in Turkey being hindered or prevented by Government action from presenting a full list of candidates for the forthcoming local and general elections.
We are aware of the case brought by the Chief Public Prosecutor against HADEP for separatist activities. We have noted the Constitutional Court's ruling on 8 March against a separate application by the Chief Public Prosecutor for HADEP to be disqualified from the local and general elections. We continue to monitor the principal Constitutional Court case against HADEP closely.
Further to the Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 30 November 1998 (H.L. Deb., col. 232) and to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 11 January (WA 12-13), whether any relevant authorities are proceeding toward prosecution of any officials or staff of the European Union; and, if not, why not.[HL1732]
What will be the funding arrangements between the Government and the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly.[HL1871]
Whether they will ascertain from the Government of Turkey whether any lawful political parties are being hindered or prevented by Government action from presenting a full list of candidates for the forthcoming local and general elections.[HL1503]
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