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Finance Bill

Indeed, that has defeated me, and my hon. Friend is right to point out that that is exactly the kind of complexity that in a normal Committee stage we would ask a Minister to explain, and a good Minister would be able to explain it and a not-so-good Minister would know an official who could help to explain it, and we would also have had the chance to consult people who are experts in the field so that we could either pass over something quickly because the experts said it was perfectly reasonable, or they would say it would not work or would have unforeseen consequences. The inability to give it such attention will doubtless mean that the Government and their successor will come to regret the legislation, and will doubtless mean that some future House of Commons has to reopen these issues and put them right. There is also a very complicated formula relating to capital allowances on page 81, similar to the pension formula that my hon. Friend read out. I will not detain the House by reading it out, because it is quite obvious that no one here today is equipped to discuss it sensibly. It means that these complicated matters will go through on the nod, not only with insufficient explanation but probably proposed by Ministers who have not teased them out and understood them fully, and certainly approved by a House of Commons that has not had the chance to do its normal job. Voters elect to this House a variety of people with a range of experiences, talents and skills, and often individual Members have the experience needed to tease something out. But the complicated area of tax law, where the whole panoply of accumulated tax law is enormous, thanks to this Government's legislative energy, is one area where we all feel that we need some professional advice before we can do our job of scrutinising the Finance Bill.