XN000022-1993-03-03 — Page 47

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1993

"LAST YEAR, I TOLD THIS COUNCIL THAT I INTENDED IN FUTURE ΤΟ PRESENT THE COMPLEX BUDGETARY DATA IN A FORM WHICH IS MORE USER- FRIENDLY AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. I WILL TODAY BE PUBLISHING TWO LEAFLETS WHICH I HOPE HELP TO DO JUST THAT, HE SAID.

THE

TO

OF THE TWO LEAFLETS, THE FIRST IS CALLED AN "INTRODUCTION ESTIMATES", AND PROVIDES AN ANALYSIS OF SOME OF THE KEY FIGURES, INCLUDING THE REAL INCREASES IN EXPENDITURE IN EACH OF OUR PROGRAMME AREAS.

P

THE SECOND LEAFLET, "WHAT THE BUDGET MEANS FOR YOU" SUMMARISES FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S PROPOSALS IN SIMPLER TERMS FOR THE GENERAL

THE PUBLIC.

IN THE BUDGET SPEECH ITSELF, HE SAID HE HAD ALSO CONTINUED THE TREND HE BEGAN LAST YEAR TO MAKE THE TEXT MORE READABLE AND LESS TECHNICAL.

MAJOR SALARIES TAX CONCESSIONS PROPOSED

PROPOSALS FOR MAJOR SALARIES TAX CONCESSIONS WERE ANNOUNCED TODAY BY THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON HAMISH MACLEOD, IN HIS 1993/ 94 BUDGET.

UNDER HIS PROPOSALS:

OVER 250,000 EXISTING TAXPAYERS WILL NO LONGER HAVE TO PAY ANY SALARIES TAX.

A FURTHER 1.2 MILLION TAXPAYERS WILL PAY LESS TAX.

THIS MEANS THAT OVER 90% OF SALARIES TAXPAYERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE PROPOSED CONCESSIONS.

"THE

GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE ARE IN A POSITION TO REDUCE THE TAX BURDEN AND TO LEAVE MORE MONEY IN THE TAXPAYER'S POCKET, WHERE IT BELONGS, MR MACLEOD SAID IN OUTLINING HIS REVENUE PROPOSALS.

DESCRIBING THE CONCESSIONS AS MAJOR, MR MACLEOD BELIEVED THEY MORE THAN FULFILLED THE PLEDGES HE GAVE TO THE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR'S BUDGET DEBATE.

UP TO 1997. ΤΟ SIMPLY

SAID HE COUNCIL

"THEY WILL COST $2.6 BILLION IN 1993/94 AND ALMOST $17 BILLION TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, HAD I LIMITED THE CONCESSIONS INDEXING SALARIES TAX ALLOWANCES TO INFLATION, THE COST WOULD HAVE BEEN ONLY A THIRD OF THE CONCESSIONS I HAVE PUT FORWARD AND, OF COURSE, THE REAL BENEFITS TO TAXPAYERS CORRESPONDINGLY LESS.

H

HIS THREE PROPOSALS FOR SALARIES TAX CONCESSIONS IN RESPECT TAX ALLOWANCES ARE:

OF

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