Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Owen Smith

Tuesday 3rd July 2018 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

Those are fantastic figures for Scotland. We have seen good figures across the UK and the lowest unemployment for 40 years. The Labour party wants to overthrow capitalism; we want great businesses that will do well for our economy.

[Owen Smith (Pontypridd) (Lab)]

Could the Chief Secretary to the Treasury reassure the House and the people of Scotland that they will not be paying more in fuel and alcohol duty after Brexit in order to fill the post-Brexit hole in our public finances?

[Elizabeth Truss]

I am afraid to tell the House that the people of Scotland are having to pay more income tax thanks to the SNP Government. Everyone earning more than £26,000 is paying more tax under the SNP.

Finance (No. 4) Bill

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and Owen Smith

Wednesday 18th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Owen Smith]

I am not going to give way again to hear more obscurities of protocol. They are nonsense and are just being used to distract attention from the measures.

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

What impact does the hon. Gentleman think having the highest rate of income tax in the G20 has on this country’s competitiveness?

[Owen Smith]

We do not know—[Laughter.] Conservative Members might laugh, but I would like to see them present some evidence on this, instead of the flannel and rhetoric that we are hearing—[Interruption.] The Minister is waving the HMRC report. Will he point to the part of it that gives definitive data on the impact on competitiveness of any rate of tax? There is nothing about that in the report, which is why he is not getting up to point it out. Come on! Let him show me the part of the report that substantiates the point made by the hon. Member for South West Norfolk (Elizabeth Truss).