Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps in relation to (a) the BBC and (b) the employees of the BBC who previously used (i) personal service companies and (ii) other remuneration schemes and as a result are now liable for increased tax bills; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HM Revenue and Customs do not comment on identifiable cases because of their duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality.
The off-payroll working rules (often known as IR35) ensure that individuals who work like employees pay broadly the same income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) as other employees, regardless of whether they work through a personal service company. These rules have been in place for nearly 20 years but non-compliance was widespread.
In Finance Act 2017 the Government reformed the rules in the public sector. The reform introduced no new tax liability but moved responsibility for operating the rules to public authority engagers, including the BBC. Initial evidence suggests that the reform has been successful and more people are paying the right tax.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of implementing a cap on public sector exit payments.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
We are committed to ending six figure exit payments for public sector workers. We have legislated in the last parliament for a £95,000 cap and are currently in the process of drafting the necessary regulations to be laid in parliament.
To ensure the successful implementation of these changes, a consultation will be brought forward in the next few months.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Valuation Order Agency has for their tenancy of The Mount House, Shrewsbury, in 2020.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The VOA's estates programme is transforming the way it uses its offices to support new and more efficient ways of working. It balances affordability and geographic coverage. By consolidating into a smaller number of higher-quality buildings, the VOA will be able to support its staff in adapting to a more flexible way of working, delivering services to its customers in a more cost-effective and sustainable way.
For information on VOA offices due to close within the next five to seven years, I refer the honourable member to the supplementary information provided to the House of Commons Library for Parliamentary Questions UIN 117327: VOA Closures.
VOA is a sub – tenant of The Mount House where VOA’s Shrewsbury office is located. After the VOA vacate the building in 2020/21, the landlord will be responsible for determining the future of the building and only they can advise on this.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will take steps to encourage the uptake of private health insurance to relieve pressures on the NHS.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
In the UK, the NHS ensures that any individual or family has access to the high-quality health care they need irrespective of their ability to pay.
At Spending Review 2015 we funded the NHS’s ‘Five Year Forward View’ plan, with £10 billion a year of additional funding by 2020/21. However, we recognise that the NHS remains under pressure – with high demand on its services caused by the UK’s ageing population and rapidly advancing technology. The government acted in response to these challenges at Budget 2017 and provided £6.3 billion in new funding for the NHS.
The government is clear that it considers it important that everyone has access to suitable insurance at the right price. However, we do not intervene in non-compulsory insurance matters. It is up to individuals to decide whether to take out private health insurance.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount lost to the public purse as a result of the Personal Savings Allowance in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 to date.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC publish the estimated costs of principal tax reliefs: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579720/Dec_16_Main_Reliefs_Final.pdf
The estimated cost of the personal savings allowance in 2016-17 is £370m. The next version of this publication covering 2017-18 will be published later in the year.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he plans to make to the EU to audit its accounts after the UK has left the EU but while the EU is still in receipt of monies from the public purse.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
As announced in the joint report from the negotiators of the European Union and the United Kingdom Government on 8 December 2017, data for the calculation of UK payments will be drawn up from publicly available sources where possible, and audited by the European Court of Auditors – the independent body responsible for auditing the EU’s expenditure, revenue and accounts.
Further information necessary for the calculation of the UK’s share of Union obligations will be transmitted to the UK. The Union will provide the UK with the management and accounting information necessary to verify the components of the financial settlement in a timely manner. As it does today, the UK Government will closely examine all information relating to any payments to the EU.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training Valuation Office staff receive on assessing business rates.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
All Valuation Office Agency (VOA) staff are entitled to take five days of learning and development each year and have learning and development considered as part of performance discussions with their managers. Each team prepares individual and team learning plans, to meet their development needs. All professional staff have to complete the required continuing professional development each year.
All property valuations for business rates are undertaken by staff with specialist training. Some cases will be dealt with by qualified chartered surveyors and others by trained caseworkers. The VOA has a comprehensive control and assurance system in place to ensure that quality of valuations is of an appropriate level.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many appeals were made to the Valuation Office on business rate revaluation in (a) 2010 and (b) 2017 to date.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
On 7 December the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) released statistics on the numbers of Challenges and Changes raised against the 2010 and 2017 Rating Lists. The VOA publishes these figures on a quarterly basis.
The publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-challenges-and-changes-2017-and-2010-rating-lists-september-2017-experimental
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making winter fuel allowance taxable at the marginal rate paid by the recipient of that allowance.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
There will be no change to the universal nature of the Winter Fuel Payment for the length of this Parliament and there are no plans to tax Winter Fuel Payments.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the amount of revenue lost by the Exchequer due to the sale of illicit tobacco in the UK in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Estimates of the Tobacco illicit market share for years up to 2015-16 are published online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates
Estimates for 2016-17 will be published at 9:30am on 26th October 2017.