asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1945 (a) the total number of men paying direct tax and (b) the total number of women paying direct tax.

pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 2nd August 1978], gave the following answer:The available information is as follows:

NUMBERS PAYING INCOME TAX
	1000
	(a) Men	(b) Women
1959/60	14,400	6,500
1962/63	15,700	7,100
1963/64	14,300	6,100
1964/65	15,000	6,100
1965/66	15,600	6,400
1966/67	15,900	6,900
1967/68	16,200	7,100
1968/69	16,700	7,500
1969/70	16,600	7,100
1970/71	16,200	6,900
1971/72	16,000	7,400
1972/73	15,800	5,900
1973/74	16,400	6,900
1974/75	16,800	7,700
1975/76	16,900	8,500
1976/77 (provisional)	17,000	8,900
1977/78 (provisional)	16,500	8,200
1978/79 (estimated)	16,900	8,700

These numbers relate to income tax. Most of those paying the other direct taxes—capital gains tax, capital transfer tax etc.—also pay income tax, but the numbers who do not are not known.The figures are based on the survey of personal incomes. It is regretted that figures showing men and women as separate taxpayers cannot be given on an annual basis earlier than 1962–63, as the survey itself has not always been on an annual basis and has not always been processed in such a way that these figures can be derived.