To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is his estimate for the number of people who would cease to pay income tax if the personal income tax allowance were raised to £10,000 per annum; [13247](2) what is his estimate of the cost of raising the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 per annum. [13248]

[holding answer 5 November 1997]: The estimated cost at 1997–98 income levels of increasing both the non-aged personal allowance and the aged personal allowance to £10,000 is £29 billion. This would take 9.8 million taxpayers out of income tax.