Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times his Department has introduced special tax arrangements to support a major sporting event since May 2010.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government has supported a wide range of sporting events held in the UK, including by providing specific tax exemptions for overseas sportspersons competing in the following events:
Champions League final (2011)
Olympic & Paralympic games (2012)
London Anniversary Games (2013)
Champions League final (2013)
Glasgow Commonwealth Games (2014)
Glasgow Athletics Grand Prix (2014)
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tax and National Insurance incentives there are for employers who participate in programmes and initiatives related to the physical wellbeing of their employees.
Answered by David Gauke
There are a number of reliefs within the tax and National Insurance system for employers who support the physical wellbeing of their employees. For example, a number of benefits in kind that are related to health and wellbeing are exempted from employer National Insurance; these include eye tests, health screening, and medical check-ups.
At Autumn Statement 2013, this government also announced the introduction of a new income tax and National Insurance contributions exemption for employer funding of recommended medical treatments.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on which occasions his Department has received representations on the introduction of special tax arrangements to support a major sporting event since May 2010.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government receives representations on a wide range of issues. Providing tax exemptions are often a requirement of the bidding process.
Asked by: Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on consumer indebtedness of decisions by banks to (a) charge consumers to receive information about their accounts online and (b) encourage consumers to receive information online.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government takes the firm view that consumers must be able to easily access clear and transparent information about their accounts. The major current account providers have previously committed to make fees and charges clearer on customers’ monthly statements, and provide an annual statement of charges for each customer.
The Government is continuing to drive forward a wide-reaching and ambitious programme of reforms to make the banking sector more competitive, including enabling innovation in the use of bank data so that customers are able to use online information more effectively. This includes initiatives like the Midata current account tool, which will help customers switch to the best current account for them.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is also currently reviewing cost-cutting initiatives that affect a significant number of customers, including the withdrawal of paper statements.