House of Lords (Members’ Taxation Status) Bill [HL]

My Lords, not being an expert on taxation, I, too, wish to address the principles of the Bill. It has a number of positive aspects: it is short— only two pages—and it is simple. I read the Bill for the first time when I put my name down to speak and I found that it was clear about what it is trying to achieve. The strong point about the Bill is that it is about the straightforward principle that if you have the privilege to engage in the legislative process of this country then, on the other side, you have obligations and responsibilities. In discussions about the Human Rights Act and so on, we often hear people say, ““Never mind rights. What about obligations?””. One of the biggest obligations of parliamentarians is to play a full part in civic society, and the most basic obligation is to pay taxation and dues—your membership fee to the nation—for the great privilege of being a part of the legislation process. That is the fundamental principle of the Bill, against which all of us would find it difficult to argue. More details may emerge in Committee—I did not attend the last Committee stage of the Bill—but what we are discussing today is the principle of the matter, which is quite clear and unarguable. I would be interested to hear any noble Lord argue against the principle that if you have the privilege of being a part of the legislative process, you should pay your taxation as a citizen. We often refer to there being no taxation without representation, but surely you have an obligation to pay taxation if you make legislation. I have been a Member of this House for a short period of time, as the noble Lord, Lord Selsdon, reminded me; it is a great privilege but has great responsibilities. I am happy to pay my taxes and other Members of your Lordships’ House should be as well. This is a small but important matter in constitutional change which reinforces the dignity of this House and Parliament. I hope that the Government will see it as a significant part of the constitutional reform programme that they wish to implement more generally and use it as a piece of the jigsaw in that process.