Office of Tax Simplification Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Office of Tax Simplification

Kate Green Excerpts
Tuesday 20th July 2010

(13 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Gauke Portrait Mr Gauke
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As I said, we want to ensure that our tax system is an asset to the UK, so that we can go out there and sell the UK as a place to do business. We want one advantage of doing business in the UK to be a certain, stable, predictable and simple tax system.

Kate Green Portrait Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab)
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When simplification is in conflict with fairness, which will prevail?

David Gauke Portrait Mr Gauke
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All policy decisions will be for the House and Ministers. The hon. Lady makes the fair point that one cannot take politics entirely out of the tax system, but there are times when it is simply a question of complexity versus simplicity. There is scope for improvement, which is what I hope the OTS will be able to deliver.