Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Eric Martlew (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 28 April 2009 on behalf of the Treasury.

Topical Questions

Question: Many small businesses in my constituency have suffered from the problems of the credit crunch. However, they have benefited from the "time to pay" initiative, which is a Government initiative that allows them to defer tax. Has any assessment been made of how many businesses in Carlisle have benefited from that?

Answer: Yes; we are monitoring carefully the impact of that service around the country. I can tell my hon. Friend that more than 1,200 businesses in Cumbria have benefited, enabling them to defer, between them, £15 million. Across the country 116,000 businesses have deferred £2.1 billion in tax, very often with a single phone call. I met a company chairman last week who described the service to me as "brilliant". We are providing real help now for businesses in my hon. Friend's constituency and across the country.

Secondary information