Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Gauke

Tuesday 24th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

It is important to point out that there is already VAT on mobile caravans, camper vans, narrowboats and a range of products. We are listening to the concerns of businesses and tourists to ensure that we can implement the measure fairly.

[Elizabeth Truss (South West Norfolk) (Con)]

T8. In 2005, Germany exempted businesses with fewer than 10 workers from unfair dismissal regulations and created flexible mini and midi-jobs. Since that date, youth unemployment in Germany has halved. What steps are the Government taking to improve flexibility and to get more young people into jobs?

Finance (No. 4) Bill

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Gauke

Thursday 19th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

Clause 4 makes changes to age-related income tax personal allowances, supporting the Government’s longer-term aim of simplifying the tax system by creating a single personal allowance regardless of age. In light of the Government’s commitment to increase the personal allowance to £10,000, together with our commitment that older people will benefit from future increases in the personal allowance above their 2013 allowance once these are aligned, there will be no need to continue with this complication in the tax system. One of the Government’s key objectives for the tax system is to make it simpler and easier for everyone to understand.

[Elizabeth Truss]

Given that the UK is 94th in the world according to the World Economic Forum for the extent and complexity of our tax system, has my hon. Friend heard any proposals from the Labour party about how to make our tax rates more competitive or how to make our tax system simpler?

[Mr Gauke]

I have to say that I have not. What I have heard from the Labour party is their resistance to any of our attempts to make our tax rates more competitive or to simplify our tax system.

Living Standards

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Gauke

Monday 5th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

I come back to the initial point: we face a huge deficit. People recognise we have to reduce it, but at the same time we are trying to do everything we can to protect the poorest. That is why we are running through the issues here.

[Elizabeth Truss (South West Norfolk) (Con)]

When the previous Government introduced so much regulation into the child care market, did not the number of child minders fall from 100,000 to 50,000 placements while the cost of child care doubled? Was that not a shameful increase in the cost of living for some of the poorest families in our country?

[Mr Gauke]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. If we are to find practical ways of improving living standards, the work that she is undertaking is exactly what we need to be doing. We need to ensure that we have an effective environment in which parents can work and child care costs are manageable.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Gauke

Tuesday 21st June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

I should be delighted to accept the right hon. Gentleman’s invitation. However, he will be aware that VAT is not chargeable on food, and that we have not raised fuel duty as the last Government did. You do not have to be a mastermind to know that.

[Elizabeth Truss (South West Norfolk) (Con)]

If the Government took longer to reduce the deficit and carried on spending, what would be the impact of that policy on inflation?