They just can't get enough of our money: Fresh EU cash grab on VAT

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...UK-budget.html
They just can't get enough of our money: Fresh EU cash grab 'will force Treasury to raise VAT'

• Brussels wants to raise take from VAT income, which could force a 1 per cent rise
• Treasury already pays twice as much as France to the EU budget

Greedy: The unelected Baroness Ashton scrapped a proposal for taxpayers to be informed exactly how much of their contributions in terms of VAT went to the EU

British consumers face a fresh VAT hike as EU chiefs are planning a tax grab to fund their pet projects. At the moment 0.3 per cent of VAT in every pound spent goes directly towards EU funding. But Brussels politicians are planning to raise the levy to 1.3 per cent - and the cost will almost certainly be passed on to consumers if the plans are approved.

The increased tax could be absorbed by the Treasury, although with the Government imposing fierce cuts in spending they would likely be forced to ramp up VAT from 20 to 21 per cent. The European Commission's seven-year budget proposals from 2014 include controversial moves to step up Brussels' direct revenue-raising powers, through a new EU levy on European banks - a 'Financial Transactions Tax' - and by increasing the EU 'take' from national VAT income.

As the EU budget proposals were being finalised at Commission headquarters last month, Eurocrats suggested that the extra 1 per cent VAT 'take' for Brussels should be itemised separately, to make the public aware of their direct contribution to running the EU. According to insiders, Britain's EU Commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton, raised objections and the idea was dropped. The proposals are already estimated by the Treasury to amount to a 'completely unrealistic' extra 11 per cent - or £1.4billion a year - on the British net contribution.

Not only all that, but now the EU is attempting to remove Britain's rebate secured by Mrs Thatcher at same time..

Cameron: Conservative leader often spouts anti-EU rhetoric but has committed this government already to a 2%+ rise in EU budget along with committing over £20bn in bailouts towards the doomed single currency.

The other battleground in the coming months of budget bartering between the Commission, the European Parliament and EU government ministers is the British rebate, which has knocked billions of pounds off the UK's EU bills for more than 25 years. It currently saves the country more than £3billion a year and, as negotiated by Mrs Thatcher in 1984, is a permanent part of the EU budget system.

The Commission says the rebate is no longer necessary, but UK officials say the justification remains - UK payments to the EU kitty are disproportionately high, with the Treasury paying twice as much to the EU budget as France, and one and a half times as much as Germany. Now the Commission wants to offer the UK a lump sum to end the current agreement and make any future rebate re-negotiable at each budget review. The UK would temporarily get even more back than it does now - but face an uphill struggle to get anything back at all in future EU spending review rounds.

The costs of this are enormous and just keep rising, I just hope that some of you will be wide enough awake by now to put an end to this in 2014 with the European Elections and in 2015 in the General. But with anyluck, as the Euro teeters on the edge of complete destruction with the sovereign debt crisis - the EU *hopefully* will be consigned to the dustbin of history. A recent poll came out which stated that only one third of the British people think the EU membership of Britain has been positive for this country.. it does seem that people are finally waking up.. lets not lose momentum.

Thoughts, should the United Kingdom leave the EU?

[dbgtz]

This really angers me considering VAT rose already recently. These people don't understand anyone do they, the fact it's already hard enough for many to even get through day to day life. Politicians are meant to understand the people they "rule" (not quite sure on the right word here), yet they do not give a rats ass. I can't stand these people, they don't need money! I mean one thing they do is help the lower developed countries, yes? Well surely if we were to use a fraction of the money we give to them then progress will be equal as we don't have to pay politicians who are big headed and selfish. That's the real reason they need a new "HQ", because there heads don't fit through the current doors.

Off topic a little, but I looked at countries by debt yesterday and saw the EU had debt. How does that work, seriously? They're a union of countries how they hell can a union have debt!

[alexxxxx]

Thoughts, should the United Kingdom leave the EU?

What do you think about it?

and to the post above, AFIAK the EU has no ability to raise money through borrowing.

[Suspective]

We really don't need another rise on VAT. Okay so it might be small, but still the whole principle of it especially as its being forced on us by the European Union who obviously don't know how hard things are here. We give so much money to them already and yet they are trying to get more off us. We keep out of their currency, keep economically stable and yet we're paying in more than the countries using the most of their resources.

The EU is going to get stronger and stronger, and ultimately more expensive to a point when we're being controlled by the EU more than Parliament and White Hall. I say we get out of the EU whilst we can!

[-:Undertaker:-]

What do you think about it?

and to the post above, AFIAK the EU has no ability to raise money through borrowing.

To put it broadly, I think we should tell them to shove it. How about you?

The EU is going to get stronger and stronger, and ultimately more expensive to a point when we're being controlled by the EU more than Parliament and White Hall. I say we get out of the EU whilst we can!

We're sadly already past that point, the figure ranges from 50% to 75% of our laws are now made by the unelected EU.