Classification of Personal Tax Credits and Company Tax Credits in Statistics on Tax Receipts

 

This note announces changes to the classification of tax credits in the compilation of Inland Revenue statistics on net tax receipts. As a result the following statistics are being revised:

  • Net receipts of income tax from October 1999
  • Net receipts of corporation tax from December 2000

Personal tax credits and statistics on income tax receipts

Two new tax credits, the Working Tax Credit (WTC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) were introduced in April 2003. These tax credits are being classified in statistics on income tax receipts as negative taxation to the extent that the credits are less than or equal to the income tax liability of the family. Payments exceeding this liability are treated as public expenditure.

This approach is consistent with OECD guidance on the presentation of statistics on tax receipts and international best practice. It has also been adopted by the Office for National Statistics in respect of National Accounts and HM Treasury for the purposes of calculating net taxes and social security contributions as presented in the Public Finances section of the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

The Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC) and Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC) are being replaced by the WTC and CTC. Previously the WFTC and DPTC have been classified wholly as negative taxation in Inland Revenue statistics on income tax receipts. They will now be classified on the same basis as WTC and CTC and the statistics for net income receipts from October 1999 to May 2003 will be revised to ensure that the series is consistent.

The revised treatment is consistent with HM Treasury calculations of net taxes and social security contributions as presented in the Public Finances section of the Financial Statement and Budget Report. The Office for National Statistics will continue to classify WFTC and DPTC as public expenditure.

All other tax credits are classified in line with OECD guidance in Inland Revenue statistics on income tax receipts.

Company tax credits and statistics on corporation tax receipts

Payments of company tax credits are currently classified wholly as negative tax in Inland Revenue statistics on net corporation tax receipts.

This approach is now being revised so that directly payable credits will be treated as public expenditure. Any tax relief due to the enhanced expenditure (i.e. amounts in excess of 100 per cent of the expenditure) which offsets liability to corporation tax will continue to be classified as negative tax. These changes affect statistics on net corporation tax from December 2000 onwards.

As with the changes relating to income tax receipts, the revised approach is consistent with OECD guidance on the presentation of statistics on tax receipts and HM Treasury calculations of net taxes and social security contributions as presented in the Public Finances section of the Financial Statement and Budget Report. The Office for National Statistics will continue to classify any enhanced and directly payable element of company tax credits as public expenditure.

Timetable

Details of changes being made to the two series are set out in the Tables below. They will be reflected in updated series to be published on the Inland Revenue website on 21 July and in Table 2.1c of the August 2003 edition of 'Financial Statistics'

 

Net receipts of income tax and capital gains tax old definition

Expenditure element of payments of WFTC and DPTC

Net receipts of income tax and capital gains tax new definition

             

Quarterly

           
             

1999 Q4

 

18353

 

248

 

18601

2000 Q1

 

31847

 

676

 

32524

             

2000 Q2

 

22014

 

817

 

22830

Q3

 

25523

 

869

 

26392

Q4

 

20392

 

981

 

21373

2001 Q1

 

36788

 

1031

 

37819

           

2001 Q2

 

23433

 

1187

 

24620

Q3

 

26109

 

1230

 

27339

Q4

 

20801

 

1294

 

22095

2002 Q1

 

35726

 

1247

 

36973

           

2002 Q2

 

22928

 

1316

 

24244

Q3

 

26438

 

1389

 

27827

Q4

 

21277

 

1542

 

22819

2003 Q1

 

35445

 

1551

 

36996

             

Monthly

           
             

Oct-99

 

5753

 

19

 

5772

Nov-99

 

5759

 

99

 

5859

Dec-99

 

6841

 

129

 

6970

Jan-00

 

14756

 

169

 

14926

Feb-00

 

9872

 

258

 

10129

Mar-00

 

7219

 

249

 

7468

           

Apr-00

 

8659

 

254

 

8913

May-00

 

6778

 

305

 

7083

Jun-00

 

6577

 

258

 

6835

Jul-00

 

10736

 

279

 

11015

Aug-00

 

8456

 

305

 

8760

Sep-00

 

6331

 

285

 

6616

Oct-00

 

7244

 

348

 

7592

Nov-00

 

6516

 

319

 

6835

Dec-00

 

6632

 

314

 

6946

Jan-01

 

17078

 

371

 

17449

Feb-01

 

11452

 

332

 

11784

Mar-01

 

8257

 

328

 

8586

       

Apr-01

 

9753

 

396

 

10149

May-01

 

7000

 

396

 

7396

Jun-01

 

6680

 

395

 

7075

Jul-01

 

11325

 

414

 

11739

Aug-01

 

8320

 

418

 

8739

Sep-01

 

6464

 

397

 

6862

Oct-01

 

7611

 

443

 

8054

Nov-01

 

6464

 

427

 

6891

Dec-01

 

6727

 

423

 

7150

Jan-02

 

16782

 

410

 

17192

Feb-02

 

11005

 

409

 

11414

Mar-02

 

7939

 

428

 

8367

       

Apr-02

 

9790

 

458

 

10248

May-02

 

6499

 

480

 

6979

Jun-02

 

6639

 

378

 

7017

Jul-02

 

11499

 

464

 

11963

Aug-02

 

8036

 

472

 

8508

Sep-02

 

6904

 

453

 

7357

Oct-02

 

7830

 

484

 

8314

Nov-02

 

6398

 

563

 

6961

Dec-02

 

7049

 

495

 

7544

Jan-03

 

15841

 

583

 

16424

Feb-03

 

11516

 

496

 

12012

Mar-03

 

8089

 

471

 

8560

         

Apr-03

 

10874

 

63

 

10937

May-03

 

7299

 

6

 

7305

Year

Net receipts of income tax old definition

Expenditure element of payments of WFTC and DPTC

Net receipts of income tax new definition

           

1999-00

92986

924

93910

         

2000-01

101480

3697

105177

         

2001-02

103036

4958

107994

           

2002-03

104264

5797

110061

 

Corporation tax net receipts old definition

Directly payable company tax credits

Corporation tax net receipts new definition

             

Annual

           
             

2000-01

 

32420

 

1

 

32421

             

2001-02

 

31990

 

55

 

32045

             

2002-03

 

29202

 

206

 

29409

             

Quarterly

           
             

2000 Q4

 

1480

 

0

 

1480

2001 Q1

 

8274

 

1

 

8275

       

2001 Q2

 

5954

 

5

 

5958

Q3

 

7309

 

11

 

7320

Q4

 

11945

 

15

 

11961

2002 Q1

 

6782

 

23

 

6805

       

2002 Q2

 

5784

 

39

 

5823

Q3

 

7128

 

44

 

7172

Q4

 

9115

 

58

 

9173

2003 Q1

 

7176

 

66

 

7241

             

Monthly

           
           

Dec-00

 

1480

 

0

 

1480

Jan-01

 

6761

 

0

 

6761

Feb-01

 

691

 

0

 

691

Mar-01

 

822

 

0

 

822

       

Apr-01

 

4577

 

0

 

4578

May-01

 

696

 

2

 

697

Jun-01

 

681

 

3

 

683

Jul-01

 

5531

 

3

 

5534

Aug-01

 

568

 

5

 

573

Sep-01

 

1210

 

3

 

1213

Oct-01

 

9709

 

5

 

9714

Nov-01

 

852

 

6

 

858

Dec-01

 

1384

 

4

 

1389

Jan-02

 

5384

 

8

 

5393

Feb-02

 

618

 

10

 

628

Mar-02

 

780

 

5

 

785

       

Apr-02

 

4427

 

12

 

4440

May-02

 

618

 

15

 

632

Jun-02

 

739

 

11

 

751

Jul-02

 

5360

 

13

 

5373

Aug-02

 

470

 

14

 

484

Sep-02

 

1298

 

16

 

1314

Oct-02

 

7058

 

22

 

7080

Nov-02

 

830

 

15

 

845

Dec-02

 

1227

 

21

 

1248

Jan-03

 

5723

 

37

 

5760

Feb-03

 

700

 

11

 

711

Mar-03

 

753

 

17

 

770

         

Apr-03

 

4726

 

21

 

4747

May-03

 

535

 

11

 

546