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Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Tuesday 29th March 2022

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of differing VAT rates for public and domestic charging of electric vehicles with the principle of VAT neutrality.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In order to keep costs down for families, the supply of electricity for domestic use attracts the reduced rate of VAT (five per cent).

Electricity supplied at EV charging points in public places is subject to the standard rate of VAT (twenty per cent). The Government has not specifically introduced a reduced rate for charging EVs at home. However, the practical challenges of differentiating between the electricity used at home for general domestic purposes, and electricity used to charge EVs currently mean that the reduced rate is effectively being applied to EV home-charging.

Applying the reduced rate of VAT to electricity supplied at EV charging points in public places would come at a cost. VAT makes a significant contribution towards the public finances, raising around £130 billion in 2019/20, and helps fund the Government's priorities including the NHS, schools, and defence. Any loss in tax revenue would have to be balanced by a reduction in public spending, increased borrowing or increased taxation elsewhere.

The Government has no current plans to review the current rate of VAT applied to EV charging.


Written Question
Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Tuesday 29th March 2022

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Value Added Tax Act 1994 Schedule 7A, Group 1, Paragraph 5, on what basis some electric vehicle charging is taxed at a rate of 20 per cent VAT.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The domestic use of fuel (including electricity that may be used to recharge vehicles) is subject to the reduced rate of VAT of 5%. As set out in Paragraph 5 of Schedule 1, where a supply to a person at their premises does not exceed 1000 kilowatt hours per month, this is deemed to be domestic use.

However, for this provision to apply, the supply of electricity must be to a customer’s house or building. Where this is not the case (such as where a vehicle is recharged at a public charge point), the electricity is standard rated.

Further clarification can be found in HM Revenue and Customs Brief 7 (2021): VAT liability of charging of electric vehicles.


Written Question
Low Incomes
Tuesday 7th December 2021

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase wages and support the lowest-income households.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The government is increasing the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour from April 2022, which keeps us on track to meet our target to end low pay by 2024-25.

We have taken decisive action to make work pay by cutting the Universal Credit taper rate from 63p to 55p and increasing Universal Credit work allowances by £500 p.a.

These measures will help us to build a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy.


Written Question
Productivity
Tuesday 17th April 2018

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing productivity through the development and deployment of new technologies.

Answered by Andrew Jones

Treasury ministers regularly discuss the opportunities of new technologies with Cabinet colleagues.

To boost research into and development of new technologies, we have increased support for in R&D to the highest level in 30 years (probably ever) through raising investment and increasing the main rate of R&D tax credits.

At Budget, we committed over £75 million to support the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the UK, which has immense potential to increase productivity.


Written Question
Apprentices
Tuesday 24th October 2017

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the effect of public investment in skills on the number of young people taking up apprenticeships since 2010.

Answered by Andrew Jones

Treasury ministers have engaged on a regular basis with the Secretary of State for Education to monitor the Government’s public investment in skills, and the impact it has had on young people taking apprenticeships. We will have doubled spending on apprenticeships in the decade to 2020, which will allow us to achieve 3m apprenticeship starts in England by 2020 and give people the best start to their careers. In 2015-16 56% of all apprenticeship starts came from those aged under 25.


Written Question
Treasury: Chief Scientific Advisers
Thursday 2nd February 2017

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there is a vacancy for a Chief Scientific Advisor to the Treasury.

Answered by David Gauke

Following the departure of the previous Chief Scientific Adviser to the Treasury in November 2016, the Treasury expects to appoint a new Chief Scientific Adviser in due course.


Written Question
Living Wage
Tuesday 27th October 2015

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the National Living Wage on wage growth.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The National Living Wage will mean a full-time minimum wage worker benefiting from the policy will earn over £4,800 more by 2020 in cash terms, a 40% rise on their current wage. Additionally, due to the ripple effect, up to a quarter of workers will see some benefit. The OBR estimate that economy wide wages will be on average 0.4% percentage points higher in 2020 due to the NLW.


Written Question
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Monday 13th October 2014

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when all Equitable Life policyholders and annuitants will be compensated for their full relative loss.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Eligible annuitants continue to receive their full Relative Loss. There are no plans to increase the levels of funding available to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme.


Written Question
Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation
Tuesday 23rd September 2014

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, under what circumstances he would review the amount of compensation made available to Equitable Life policyholders through the Equitable Life Payment Scheme.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 2010 Spending Review allocated up to £1.5 billion to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme. The Government has no plans to review the level of funding available to the Payment Scheme.


Written Question
Landsbanki
Tuesday 23rd September 2014

Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HM Treasury will limit the amount of compensation paid to UK Icesave customers.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

At the time of the collapse of Landsbanki and its UK branch, Icesave, customer deposits amounted to £4.5bn. Depositors were fully compensated at the time of the collapse by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and the Government. In return, the FSCS became a priority creditor in the Landsbanki estate, which is currently being wound down.