Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the operation of the tax system is fair.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I refer the hon Member to the answer that I gave on 5 September to PQ UIN: 906214.
That answer can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure fairness in the operation of the tax system.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
It is right that everyone contributes to sustainable public finances and the government is ensuring those with the broadest shoulders pay their fair share.
Spring Budget took steps to tackle non-compliance and improve HMRC’s ability to collect tax debts.
Because of our commitment over 13 years to help the lowest earners, people can now earn over £1000 a month free from income tax or National Insurance.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the different costs of production between cider and beer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Treasury considers production costs complex to estimate, as different businesses will have different business models, impacting production costs. Officials have received data from some brewers and cidermakers who have chosen to share this information, however given the commercial sensitivity of it, the Government is not in a position to share it publicly.
A consultation on the alcohol duty review ran from 27 October to 30 January, and the Treasury is now in the process of analysing responses. We will continue to monitor the economic impact of our reforms, and welcome feedback from stakeholders on this point.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of equalising cider and beer duty to improve public health.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has considered the merits of equalising beer and cider duty as part of its alcohol duty review, both from a public health and revenue raising perspective.
However, while public health remains an important focus of our review, this must be balanced against the need to support businesses and, given the cider industry has been in consistent decline over the past decade, the Government has decided not to equalise cider with other categories.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on revenue of equalising cider and beer duty as part of the alcohol duty system changes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has considered the merits of equalising beer and cider duty as part of its alcohol duty review, both from a public health and revenue raising perspective.
However, while public health remains an important focus of our review, this must be balanced against the need to support businesses and, given the cider industry has been in consistent decline over the past decade, the Government has decided not to equalise cider with other categories.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in what circumstances low carbon investments pay (a) 20 per cent and (b) five per cent VAT.
Answered by Jesse Norman
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been limited by both legal and fiscal considerations.
One such exception is the reduced rate of VAT of 5 per cent for the installation in residential accommodation of certain energy-saving materials, such as ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and solar panels, that help to reduce carbon emissions. Detail about the circumstances in which such reliefs apply can be found in VAT Notice 708/6 on energy-saving materials and heating equipment: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-energy-saving-materials-and-heating-equipment-notice-7086.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been raised from VAT on heat pumps.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC do not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential net economic benefits of long-term investment in energy efficiency programmes.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Maximising the potential economic benefits of long-term investment in energy efficiency programmes is a central component of the Government’s approach to making our building stock greener on the path to Net Zero. The Clean Growth Strategy set our aspiration to raise the energy efficiency of all homes to EPC Band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable. These ratings make a real difference to people's lives. A dwelling with an EPC of Band A/B will have an average dual fuel cost of £396 per year. For a Band G dwelling this is £2,988, a difference of 650%.
Since June, we have provided £1.5bn to support low income households across the country to improve their energy efficiency while also expanding the Energy Company Obligation to £1bn per year. Together, this is estimated to support over 25,000 jobs and save households an average of £350-450 per year on their energy bills.
The upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will set out further detail on the Government’s plans to maximise the potential economic benefits of improving energy efficiency.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential net economic benefits of long-term investment in energy efficiency programmes in (a) the North West and (b) England.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Maximising the potential economic benefits of long-term investment in energy efficiency programmes is a central component of the government’s approach to making our building stock greener on the path to Net Zero. The Clean Growth Strategy set our aspiration to raise the energy efficiency of all homes to EPC Band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable. These ratings make a real difference to people's lives. A dwelling with an EPC of Band A/B will have an average dual fuel cost of £396 per year. For a Band G dwelling this is £2,988, a difference of 650%.
Since June, we have provided £1.5bn to support low income households across the country improve their energy efficiency, including in the North West, while also expanding the Energy Company Obligation to £1bn per year. Together, this is estimated to support over 25,000 jobs and save households an average of £350-450 per year on their energy bills.
The upcoming Heat and Buildings Strategy will set out further detail on the Government’s plans to maximise the potential economic benefits of improving energy efficiency.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the rates charged on soft drinks that are eligible for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy, like all taxes, is kept under regular review, and the impact of any potential changes to its rates is considered through the Budget process.