Former MP for Dudley
The hon. Gentleman is talking about the strength of the balance of payments. Has he not noticed that the Chancellor implied a very substantial increase in the gross national product? If that is so, would not the hon. Gentleman agree that the miserable sum which is now to be given away—about £200 million—will be more than recovered within the terms of taxation at present levelled on the...
I hope that the hon. Gentleman the Member for Reading (Mr. John Lee) will accept that I am not going to follow him in many of his arguments though I agree with him on two points: first, in regretting that this is to be a truncated debate, and, second, on the question of the E.E.C., on which I believe the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made it quite clear that he...
asked the Minister of Technology (1) whether the estimate submitted to him by the Gas Council of the cost of conversion of customers' appliances to burn natural gas has been revised in the light of the extensive follow-up campaign that has been necessary;
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the present practice of issuing at an early date within the year of assessment provisional assessments under Schedule D.
Would the right hon. Gentleman agree that the early issue of these provisional assessments only acts as an irritant to the taxpayer and wastes the time of both the Inland Revenue and the tax advisers?
asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is the present annual cost to the construction industry of the selective employment tax.
Would the Minister not agree that with these charges, taxes, levies and duties, it is costing about £6 per man per week to get him on to the site and that as a result there has been a reduction in output in the industry and an increase in the number of self-employed?
I shall not try to deal with the points raised by the hon. Member for Salford, West (Mr. Orme). We all recognise the honesty of his approach to the problem but, despite his devastating indictment of his own Government, cannot go along with his Socialist argument. I compliment my right hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham (Mr. R. Carr) on the facts and figures he has given, which are...
