Oral Answers to Questions — Medicine Stamp Duties.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 29 June 1939.

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Photo of Mr John Simon Mr John Simon , Spen Valley

The Department of Customs and Excise, which is responsible for the administration of this duty, represented to me the extreme difficulties of administering the existing duty and the many anomalies involved. It was with these considerations in mind that I felt that the repeal of the duties was desirable. As regards representations by trade interests, which have been received from time to time, I may mention that the Parliamentary Committee of the Co-operative Congress and the Proprietary Association of Great Britain conveyed to me their views in favour of the repeal of the duty; moreover, the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, after criticising the Select Committee's re-commendations, represented to me that no reasons were advanced in the report, nor were any substantial reasons given in evidence before the Committee, why medicines should be preferred for taxation before many other more obviously suitable commodities and that they could not find in the report any justification for the imposition of a heavy duty upon the products of one particular industry and that an industry concerned with the public health.