Written question asked by Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 11 March 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 March 2003. It was answered by Baroness Primarolo (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 March 2003 on behalf of the Treasury.

Treasury

Question: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) filing and (b) other costs of the self assessment tax system in each year since 1998; and if he will make a statement. - Inc ref to Inland Revenue Annual Report, in Library.

Answer: Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) filing and (b) other costs of the self-assessment tax system in each year since 1998; and if he will make a statement. [102878] Dawn Primarolo: The costs of collecting income tax and other taxes are set out each year in the Inland Revenue Annual Reports, copies of which are in the House of Commons Library. The costs of administering and collecting income tax cover a variety of integrated tax regimes and systems of which Self Assessment is one. Some significant costs are shared across these regimes and cannot be meaningfully apportioned to particular regimes or systems. No figures are available for the total costs of Self Assessment in isolation.

Secondary information