Publication of the Finance Bill 2004
The Finance Bill 2004, which enacts many of the measures set out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown in his Budget Statement in March, was published on 8 April 2004.

Paymaster General, Dawn Primarolo said: the Government is committed to creating a modern and fair tax system which encourages work and saving, and raises sufficient revenue to pay for investment in public services. The Finance Bill introduces important measures to modernise taxes, keeping pace with real world developments and with the global economy, and to tackle tax avoidance and evasion. The second reading of the Finance Bill will be on 20 April 2004.

Explanatory Notes are available for each clause and schedule of the Bill. The Notes are being deposited in Parliament, with the authority of Ministers, to provide Parliament with a better understanding of the purpose and effect of the Government's proposals during the passage of the Finance Bill. These are both published by the HMSO (www.hmso.gov.uk) and will be available in electronic and paper formats: the Finance Bill from the Parliamentary web site (www.parliament.uk), and the Explanatory Notes can be found on the Treasury web site (www.treasury.gov.uk), along with material on other Treasury matters.

Regulatory Impact Assessments are available from the Inland Revenue (www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk) and Customs and Excise (www.hmce.gov.uk) web sites.