ARCHBISHOP OF YORK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 June 1943, Page 4

ARCHBISHOP OF YORK

SAID TO HAVE AVOIDED SURTAX ON INCOME UNDER AN ARRANGEMENT WITH COMMISSIONERS, REFERENCE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 1.10 p.m.) ( LONDON, June 3. An arrangement between the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and the Archbishop of York for an avoidance of surtax on the Archbishop’s income was mentioned by Sir Herbert Williams in the House of Commons. He was speaking during a discussion on the Finance Bill, an amendment to which had been moved to exempt from income tax the first £5O of the Easter offering to the clergy. Sir H. Williams said there were dozens of methods of getting round the difficulty. “It is possible,” he added, “for a piece of jewellery to be given to a vicar’s wife and bought back with Easter offerings, or for a payment to be made to a vicar in groceries, or he can do as the Archbishop of York, who has a stipend of £9OOO has done. The Archbishop has entered into a perfectly splendid arrangement with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for them to pay the whole maintenance of his office and repair his castle. The Archbishop in future is to receive a stipend of £4,250 a year, subject to taxation. The Archbishop and the commissioners have entered into a delightful procedure for the avoidance of surtax. I do not blame him. “I think it is perfectly honourable,” said Sir H. Williams, “but it infringes the moral principles of the Finance Act. I hope it will temper some of the speeches which the Archbishop makes on the behaviour of other people in economic and financial matters.” The House of Commons rejected the amendment. A number of speakers maintained that a more sensible method of improving the position of clergymen was to increase stipends, which the church authorities were trying to do.