Part of Finance Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:30 pm on 13th June 2002.
Would it not be possible to deal with the problems that the Economic Secretary suggests are contained in the amendments by introducing a value below which tax relief would not be possible? That would move us away from the idea that people could seek tax relief on second-hand clothes and books. Surely, it would be simple to introduce such a figure. We could then be clear that assets only above a certain amount would be deemed to qualify. The Minister is right: along any high street in Britain, one can see that people readily donate their second-hand clothes and books. Charities that advocate the measure, however, do not have such assets in mind.