165 Mr. Cox asked the Minister for Finance the cost to the Exchequer from 6 April 1994 to 31 December 1994, and in a full year, in gross and net terms for each £100 change in the standard and higher bands and allowances for individual income tax payers.

The only relevant information available as to cost is in relation to the direct cost to the Exchequer in income tax foregone if the changes referred to in the question were enacted for the income tax year 1994/95. The estimated costs of increasing the main personal allowances and the standard tax rate band by £100 are set out in the following table.