Commons debate income tax changes
28 November 2012 (updated on 28 November 2012)
MPs debated income tax paid on incomes above £150,000 in the House of Commons on 28 November 2012
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves, opened the debate, which was the first of two Opposition Day debates scheduled in the Commons.
- Watch Parliament TV: Opposition Day debate on income tax
- Read Commons Hansard: Opposition Day debate on income tax
- Read current Parliamentary material in Topics: Taxation
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, responded on behalf of the Government.
The motion put forward by the Opposition was negatived on division - the means by which MPs register their vote for or against specific motions within debates or in committee - by 222 votes to 291. The amendment to the motion, put forward by the Government, was agreed on question.
Opposition day debates
Opposition days are days allocated in the House of Commons in each session for the discussion of subjects chosen by the Opposition.
Seventeen days are at the disposal of the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the largest opposition party, to decide which matters are debated. Three days are usually divided between the other opposition parties.
The Opposition generally use them to raise questions of policy and administration. Frequently, two separate subjects are debated on an opposition day.