The European Commission wants EU member states to consider allowing it to levy direct taxes - a move that could ease the burden on national budgets.So, that "burden" would get directly transferred from the national "budget" to the individual citizen/company? What, apart from another significant loss of national sovereignty to Brussels, would be in it for us, the mere citizens of the EU?
The EU's Budget Commissioner, Janusz Lewandowski, said he would present some options next month for direct EU taxes.
Taxes on aviation, financial transactions and CO2 emission permits are all possibilities, he told the daily Financial Times Deutschland.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The EUcracy never goes on holiday.
Must admit I had a chuckle when I first read this; nice timing though, right in the middle of the "cucumber season", when every self-respecting Euro-sceptic is probably sunning himself on the beaches of er... Europe:
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6 comments:
On the other half of tax-and-spend, what would Europe spend its tax money on?
Given that ROI has "guarantees" from the EU, that they won't touch our tax system or impose taxes, it seems a little unfair on everyone else who will be paying.
Anonymous,
It's only a "suggestion" at this point; even if he wanted to Mr Cameron might struggle to sell it to his party I suspect...
Dilettante,
That is the beauty of it from a federalist point of view- complain of "tax and no representation" and we'll get the kind offer of a EU government. Otherwise, theoretically, I suppose it'll go on green projects.
Open Europe has more-
http://tinyurl.com/33c3r73
The idea this is a cost cutting measure is inane but there is a reasonable debate on whether the EU should raise funds directly rather than the periodic bunfights over who pays what. More fiscal responsibility might actually make the place more accountable and people more interested in EU elections.
A financial transaction tax, or other taxes that make sense spread over supernational bodies is not a bad idea. It's the creep affect that worries me though. Perhaps as part of wider reform with some pullback of soveriegnty to national governments and some kind of more deomcratic and sensible EU Parliament arrangement.
Looks like we can all rest easy-
"A British treasury minister, Lord Sassoon, said the British government "is opposed to direct taxes financing the EU budget. The UK believes that taxation is a matter for member states to determine at a national level and would have a veto over any plans for such taxes."
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