Finance Bill

I am greatly reassured by that, Mr Hood, as I was worried that the Chief Whip would again, later this evening, detect a certain exuberance or failing of stamina among some of those in his pastoral care. The first group of amendments has a very simple purpose. As the clause is a measure with no mandate, it is surely important for hon. and right hon. Members present not just to vote for it in the dark. Surely, we have a responsibility, as legislators, to ensure that we genuinely understand the impact of the VAT increase on the people whom we are here to represent. It is perfectly possible that even when that clarity has been acquired, the Government will say that they want to press ahead with the measure come what may, but we should study how different groups will be hurt by the VAT increase. Amendments 41 to 43 ask the Treasury to prepare a report on the impact of the rise in the standard rate of VAT on pensioners, children and child poverty, inequality, the bottom 20% of households by income, charities, the informal economy and the black market. Under the amendments, if those reports are not completed, the increase in the standard rate of VAT would not occur until 4 January 2012. The purpose of the amendments is perfectly straightforward. We know that there are more Finance Bills in the pipeline, some of which might arrive in the House fairly soon after the summer recess, but the House will want to be able to press the Government—from both sides, I hope—on the need to include in future Finance Bills measures to compensate those who have been hit particularly hard by the increase in VAT should it arrive successfully on the statute books this afternoon. The reports are enormously important because the public were denied a debate, during the election, about what protections should be put in place. Indeed, they could be forgiven for believing that no party intended to increase VAT.