Commons debate statutory instrument on Tax credits
15 September 2015 (updated on 15 September 2015)
MPs debated a motion to approve the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 in the House of Commons on Tuesday 15 September 2015.
The debate was opened by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Damian Hinds. Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Seema Malhotra, responded on behalf of the Opposition.
MPs voted on the motion and the question was agreed to (Division No. 71: Ayes 325 votes, Noes 290 votes).
- Watch Parliament TV: Tax Credits
- Read Commons Hansard: Tax Credits
- Read current Parliamentary material in Topics: Benefits policy
Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015
The draft Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 was laid on 7 September 2015 under the affirmative procedure. The instrument must be approved by the House of Commons and House of Lords before it can come into force.
The instrument has not yet been considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.
Once approved the instrument will set, from 6 April 2016, the income thresholds of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, the amount of income that is disregarded where income for the current year exceeds the income from the previous year and the taper rate at which tax credits are withdrawn where an individual’s income exceeds the income threshold, as announced in the Summer Budget 2015.
House of Commons Library analysis
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Related Information
Statutory Instruments
Statutory Instruments are a type of delegated legislation. Delegated legislation allows the Government to make changes to a law without needing to push through a completely new Act of Parliament.
The original Act (also known as primary legislation) would have provisions that allow for future delegated legislation to alter the law to differing degrees.
These changes range from the technical, like altering the level of a fine, to fleshing out Acts with greater detail; often an Act contains only a broad framework of its purpose and more complex content is added through delegated legislation.
- About Parliament: Delegated Legislation
- Read House of Commons Library Background Paper: Statutory Instruments
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