Mr. Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the UK paid (a) stamp duty and (b) capital gains tax in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 1997-98 and (iii) 1979-80; and what each figure represents as a percentage of the population in each year. [91438]
Ed Balls: The available information is given in the following table. Figures for 1979-80 are not available.
| 1997-98 | 2005-06 |
Number of residential liable transactions | (1)665 | (2)873 |
Geographical entity | England, Wales and Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
As percentage of population | 1.25 | 1.45 |
(1) Number of transactions above stamp duty threshold (£60,000). No information available on reliefs. (2)This figure is net of transactions above the stamp duty threshold (£120,000) where stamp duty was not payable due to the use of reliefs, eg disadvantaged area relief.
The total number of people, and trusts, in the UK, who pay capital gains tax is published on the HM Revenue and Customs website in table 14.1 at the following address: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/capital_gains/menu.htm.
The numbers for the required years are given as follows. Figures for 2005-06 are not available so figures for the latest available year, 2004-05, have been given (populations used were mid-1979, mid-1997 and mid-2004 respectively).
| Number of taxpayers (thousand) | Percentage of population (mid-1979, mid-1997, mid-2004) |
1979-80 | 212 | 0.38 |
1997-98 | 170 | 0.29 |
2004-05 | 186 | 0.31 |
A direct comparison across these years is misleading as before the introduction of 'Independent Taxation' in 1990-91 each taxpaying married couple counted as one individual. Since 1990-91 husbands and wives both with CGT liabilities have been counted separately.
