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• Question by: Stephen Knight
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Stephen Knight (AM): To pick you up on the point you have just made around the high property values in London, compared, I believe with most other developed countries, we have very few property and wealth taxes in this country; we predominantly focus on income and sales taxes. I just wondered to what extent you think the high cost of housing in London is partly driven by the fact that it is a tax free growth area for people, by which I mean it is a tax free investment and therefore that has partly driven the speculation that has driven...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Goodness me. I think this is a very worthwhile debate although it may seem a bit arid to some observers and we need to make sure we do not get too academic about it. Would you agree with me that around the world probably the single greatest source of income for city governments tends to be, in one shape or form, from properties? You have said a couple of times now that property taxes are so visible and so potent that virtually all political parties play 'chicken' with each other. Well, the opposite of 'chicken'; they are scared to look...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Nicky Gavron (AM): While we are on land and talking about the planning system, currently the Assembly's Planning Committee is looking at the community infrastructure levy (CIL). That is, to a certain extent, a fixed charge, although there are lots of complications because it is set different in different boroughs and there is not necessarily a duty to cooperate and so on. On top of that is the Mayor's own CIL. I was wondering, this CIL is for Crossrail, but is the Commission going to look beyond that to the way CIL might be used by the Mayor in the...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

In the same spirit, how far are you going to frame for the Mayor any of the mechanisms he might be thinking about for the comprehensive spending review for London?

• Question by: James Cleverly
• Meeting date: 17 October 2012

James Cleverly (AM): Thank you, Chair. I had hoped to subtly remind you that my understanding is that Members were here to ask questions of the Mayor and receive answers from the Mayor. Unfortunately, there have been a number of occasions where Labour Members have finished their line of questioning with a statement and you have curtailed the Mayor's attempts to answer the implied questions in those statements. If we are envisaging a change of standing orders where Members are allowed to make parting shots or closing statements, whatever you want to call them, perhaps you could inform the Assembly...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 23 May 2012

John Biggs (AM): Can I request a personal explanation?

• Question by: James Cleverly
• Meeting date: 14 March 2012

A point of order, Chair.

• Question by: Gareth Bacon MP
• Meeting date: 22 February 2012

My colleague Victoria Borwick is very keen to come to her question, which is the next one on the agenda, so I am going to pull my question, Chair. I am withdrawing my question.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Clearly, it is welcome to have a focus on outer London and my colleagues from Sutton and North Cheam are quick off the mark and have already, as it were, put in for some money even though you have not actually told people what the criteria is. But I, too, am concerned about your funding mechanism. It is one thing to take the money off taxpayers and to grant it to outer London boroughs. It is another to borrow because you have to pay the interest on the borrowing and you have to pay the money back. I am a...