EU after our rebate AGAIN along with a push for EU-wide taxes

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...y-changes.html

Britain to lose EU rebate as Coalition faces split on treaty changes

Britain would lose a £3 billion annual rebate on payments to Brussels and faces new European taxes under proposals tabled on Tuesday alongside a Franco-German plan for EU treaty change that raises the prospect of a British referendum on Europe

The proposals are a serious setback for David Cameron who opposed any fresh EU institutional changes and recently renewed his "referendum lock" pledge to hold a popular vote on any future treaty that involves any loss of British sovereignty. The European Commission plan to overhaul the way the EU is financed, including the end of the rebate by 2013, has coincided with a French and German call for new treaty within two years, developments that risk ending the coalition's political truce on Europe.

Jose (acute accent on the e) Manuel Barroso, the Commission President, yesterday published new proposals to review how the EU's growing budget is financed. In a bid to bring Brussels spending "closer to EU citizens", he has tabled plans to move away from complicated national contributions paid by Treasuries, a system include the British rebate or "correction", towards a more "transparent" system of new European taxes. "We need to take another look at the byzantine set of corrections and trade-offs. I believe it is high time to promote a system that is understood by citizens," he said. "We encourage everybody to engage in an open debate without taboos."

Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel's demand on Monday night for a new EU treaty to prevent future Greek-style euro zone crises will put the government under intense pressure to hold a vote on the EU from many Tories, who were angry at Labour's refusal to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The demand for "revision" to the Lisbon Treaty by 2013 from President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel will put the Prime Minister on a collision course with them at an EU summit on "economic governance" to be held in Brussels on Oct 28. Bill Cash, the Conservative chairman of House of Commons European scrutiny committee, signalled that there will be backbench Tory demands for a referendum on a new EU treaty and opposition to any question of touching the "non-negotiable" rebate.

"This must not only be refused on the basis of not giving new powers to the EU but we have to have a referendum," he said. "With the rebate and tax proposals, the EU is making demands that are completely unacceptable to the British people." Douglas Carswell, the Eurosceptic Tory MP for Clacton, warned that a Conservative-Lib Dem peace pact over Europe was in danger of unravelling because of the new EU demands. "The coalition managers have said they do not want to do Europe. Whether we like it or not Europe is going to be an issue," he said.

The rebate, first secured by Margaret Thatcher in 1984, is worth £3 billion a year. Its loss would deeply undermine George Osborne's spending review which runs up until 2015, potentially meaning that Britain could have to pay over £6 billion in extra payments to the EU in the two years after 2013. Also deeply controversial for Britain, and other countries including Germany and France, is the idea that Brussels budgets can be funded by EU taxation via "a separate EU VAT rate, a share of an EU energy tax or of an EU corporate income tax". "It would be completely unacceptable for governments to hand the unelected European Commission the powers to raise taxes from citizens. The EU budget is in urgent need of reform and remains hugely wasteful, but this won't be solved by giving the EU new powers to demand more money," said Stephen Booth, a spokesman for Open Europe.

Well they always dismiss Europe as an issue but as i've said before, like the topic or not; the European Union will be the biggest issue of our time. Do we want extra taxes pushed on us and going to an organisation (or state as it can now legally be classed) which has not had its accounts signed off/audited for over a decade? Do we want to loose our rebate which they are intent on forcing us to give up? Do we want to be part of what is ultimately a project to create a United States of Europe?

It is time to get out of this ridiculous and corrupt EU, let's be friends with Europe but not run by Europe. For once, can't we just stand up for ourselves and our own country?

Thoughts, should the UK give up its rebate?

[Alkaz]

The only time we should give it up is when we leave the stupid bloody EU. The amount we pay into it, we wouldn't need the £3bn rebate from it. I understand how this is beneficial to some countries who will only benefit from the EU but when the EU is benefiting from us I don't understand why anyone would sign us over to it.

[GommeInc]

Ah well, time to see if the Conservatives and the Lib Dems have lied about their views on Europe. I still think we should pull out, we don't benefit from the EU but the EU benefits from us. If anything, we should be the head of the EU seeing as we're probably the only country that hasn't caused friction with another European country and lost a pointless war, nor have we had most of our country blown up by the country which just so happens to be in charge. It does make you wonder where all this money is going - someone is very rich

[Chippiewill]

Ah well, time to see if the Conservatives and the Lib Dems have lied about their views on Europe. I still think we should pull out, we don't benefit from the EU but the EU benefits from us. If anything, we should be the head of the EU seeing as we're probably the only country that hasn't caused friction with another European country and lost a pointless war, nor have we had most of our country blown up by the country which just so happens to be in charge. It does make you wonder where all this money is going - someone is very rich

We do benefit, unfortunately without the trade our economy would be in an even worse state, but other countries are abusing this by stealing from us D:

[GommeInc]

We do benefit, unfortunately without the trade our economy would be in an even worse state, but other countries are abusing this by stealing from us D:

That's the only thing the EU was ever good for - trade, and that was even before the EU existed It's like dangling a worm infront of countries, and some were stupid to hook onto it and get reeled in. Countries like Switzerland, however, don't like the taste of worms and got away. It's amazing these individual countries don't just pull out and make a new trade organisation, seeing as they wouldn't have the power to do anything about it :/

[-:Undertaker:-]

We do benefit, unfortunately without the trade our economy would be in an even worse state, but other countries are abusing this by stealing from us D:

Europe would still trade with us - just without the costs and the regulation that come with it. The other benefits that would also result would be the United Kingdom gaining its WTO seat back - meaning we can then choose to trade with who we want to trade with in a manner which best suits us, not 26 other different countries.

"No single economic benefit, its our money."

[Chippiewill]

Europe would still trade with us

It would not be so easy, there'd be some stupid EU rule giving us heavy taxation or something whenever we trade with the EU. Also then there's passport control, it's so much easier for the UK to be a member of the EU. Although we would be able to get some serious trading done with the Americans..

Edit: ACTA is also bad mmkay.

[-:Undertaker:-]

It would not be so easy, there'd be some stupid EU rule giving us heavy taxation or something whenever we trade with the EU. Also then there's passport control, it's so much easier for the UK to be a member of the EU. Although we would be able to get some serious trading done with the Americans..

Edit: ACTA is also bad mmkay.

Not really, thats what the point in the WTO.