Finance Bill

I have listened to the Economic Secretary, and I am afraid that I will disappoint her. She says that the Government have 29 consultative tax groups and that they have had 38 formal consultations. One is tempted to wonder how they got it all so wrong if they have so much consultation going on and so many experts apparently at their disposal. The experts whom we talked to knew that it would all go wrong. They knew about the non-doms thing and that the capital gains tax regime needed to be amended. They saw the problems with the 10p tax changes. They understood that the proposed income-splitting rules were unworkable and that the foreign profits consultation could have led to something that was disastrous for Britain. Indeed, we have already begun to see the early effects, with the exit of one or two key companies from this country, as mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron). The Economic Secretary said that simplification was a priority for the Government and that a significant rolling programme of simplification was in place. We understand how easy it is for Ministers to be briefed by civil servants and to read out what they are told, but as we now have the longest tax code in the world, and given the complexity of our tax code, does she really believe that an effective simplification programme is in place? She says that longer means simpler and easier to access. I wonder whether the Treasury has bought a share stake in Tolley's tax guide; I can think of no other reason for her to believe that statement. I urge my right hon. and hon. Friends and right-thinking Members in all parts of the House to vote in favour of new clause 17. Question put, That the clause be read a Second time— The House divided: Ayes 190, Noes 267.