Wales may get power to set taxes

A commission is to look into whether Wales should be able to set its own income and corporate tax.

The Guardian reported that the commission, which will start work within weeks, would also to examine whether Wales should get more devolved powers and whether there is a need for a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction.

Announcing the membership and terms of reference of the commission, Cheryl Gillan, the Welsh Secretary, said the body would take a "proper structured look" at "how we make devolution operate".

"Devolution is not something that is static. This is a government that believes in devolution and supports devolution," she said.

The Guardian said the commission hoped to report by the next northern autumn on whether Wales should have devolved fiscal powers. It would then look at whether the assembly should have extended powers, reporting back the following year, 2013.

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The commission will be chaired by Paul Silk, a former clerk in the House of Commons and clerk to the national assembly in Wales from 2001 to 2007. Silk said he had an "entirely open mind on all the questions we are addressing" and suggested he would like to hold public meetings inside and outside Wales.

- Agencies