UK gets the least amount of money out of the EU. Brown wants us to leave. Germany, despite having a larger economy than Britain, receives more money from the EU than Britain.
Is Britain really that good and the rest so crap that they need more money from the EU than Britain?
Time to withdraw Britain's contribution totally. This one sick puppy.
Britain 'gets less out of EU than anyone'
By George Trefgarne (Filed: 16/03/2005)
Gordon Brown launched the second broadside in two days at the European Union yesterday, as it became clear that a row over the EU and its finances would be one of the defining features of his Budget today.
Yesterday, Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the Treasury and one of Mr Brown's junior ministers, used a parliamentary answer to demonstrate the Chancellor's growing impatience with the EU's financial laxity. In a rare outburst from a Labour minister, he claimed that the EU's budget system is "unfair" and that Britain gets less out of it than any other member state.
Who gets what
Mr Timm's claim came just 24 hours after Mr Brown released part of his Budget early, calling for economic reform in Europe and emphasising that Britain's rebate is not up for renegotiation.
Next week, EU finance ministers will meet to hammer out the European budget. Other members believe Britain's rebate should go, as we have become much richer since it was granted in 1984. (YEAH. RICHER OFf OUR OWN BACKS - YOU LAZY EURO CONTINENTALS. THE BRITS ALSO WORK THE HARDEST IN EUROPE)
But Mr Timms said in a written answer to Ian Davidson, a eurosceptic Labour MP, that the Chancellor believes the rebate was "fully justified and not up for renegotiation".
Mr Timms' answer was accompanied by a table of Britain's net contributions to the EU, which showed that in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available, Britain paid £3.7billion more than it got back, even after the rebate of £3.6billion.
This makes Britain the second largest net contributor after Germany. However, the figures also reveal that chaotic accounting means nobody is absolutely certain how much Britain contributes but it's very significant nontheless. The Treasury's estimate for 2003 is more than the £3.3billion reported by the Office for National Statistics and the €1.8billion (£1.2 billion) quoted by the EU in its own accounts.
The Treasury has investigated the big differences and says they can be partly explained by the timing of payments and the fact that the EU itself does not count some tariffs.
Mr Brown believes the position to be unfair as the UK receives little from the EU in the form of agricultural subsidies or structural funds like the French do. An official EU document called European Commission Allocated Expenditure 2003 shows that Britain received grants from the EU worth just 0.36pc of national income, less than any other member.
Mr Timms said: "The UK's share is the lowest of all member states. As a result of continued inequalities on the expenditure side of the budget, and the resulting unfairness of the UK position, the abatement remains fully justified and not up for renegotiation."
Mr Brown's growing anger at the EU's finances was fuelled this week by a leaked email from the outgoing director-general of the EU's internal audit services, Jules Muis, revealed here yesterday. It said the EU's accounts were "chronically sordid".
The loss of the rebate would blow Mr Brown's precarious Budget sums off course. He is close to breaking his own fiscal rules and even with the rebate, Treasury forecasts show Britain's net contribution to the EU nearly rising sharply to £5.1 billion by 2008.
Is Britain really that good and the rest so crap that they need more money from the EU than Britain?
Time to withdraw Britain's contribution totally. This one sick puppy.
Britain 'gets less out of EU than anyone'
By George Trefgarne (Filed: 16/03/2005)
Gordon Brown launched the second broadside in two days at the European Union yesterday, as it became clear that a row over the EU and its finances would be one of the defining features of his Budget today.
Yesterday, Stephen Timms, financial secretary to the Treasury and one of Mr Brown's junior ministers, used a parliamentary answer to demonstrate the Chancellor's growing impatience with the EU's financial laxity. In a rare outburst from a Labour minister, he claimed that the EU's budget system is "unfair" and that Britain gets less out of it than any other member state.
Who gets what
Mr Timm's claim came just 24 hours after Mr Brown released part of his Budget early, calling for economic reform in Europe and emphasising that Britain's rebate is not up for renegotiation.
Next week, EU finance ministers will meet to hammer out the European budget. Other members believe Britain's rebate should go, as we have become much richer since it was granted in 1984. (YEAH. RICHER OFf OUR OWN BACKS - YOU LAZY EURO CONTINENTALS. THE BRITS ALSO WORK THE HARDEST IN EUROPE)
But Mr Timms said in a written answer to Ian Davidson, a eurosceptic Labour MP, that the Chancellor believes the rebate was "fully justified and not up for renegotiation".
Mr Timms' answer was accompanied by a table of Britain's net contributions to the EU, which showed that in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available, Britain paid £3.7billion more than it got back, even after the rebate of £3.6billion.
This makes Britain the second largest net contributor after Germany. However, the figures also reveal that chaotic accounting means nobody is absolutely certain how much Britain contributes but it's very significant nontheless. The Treasury's estimate for 2003 is more than the £3.3billion reported by the Office for National Statistics and the €1.8billion (£1.2 billion) quoted by the EU in its own accounts.
The Treasury has investigated the big differences and says they can be partly explained by the timing of payments and the fact that the EU itself does not count some tariffs.
Mr Brown believes the position to be unfair as the UK receives little from the EU in the form of agricultural subsidies or structural funds like the French do. An official EU document called European Commission Allocated Expenditure 2003 shows that Britain received grants from the EU worth just 0.36pc of national income, less than any other member.
Mr Timms said: "The UK's share is the lowest of all member states. As a result of continued inequalities on the expenditure side of the budget, and the resulting unfairness of the UK position, the abatement remains fully justified and not up for renegotiation."
Mr Brown's growing anger at the EU's finances was fuelled this week by a leaked email from the outgoing director-general of the EU's internal audit services, Jules Muis, revealed here yesterday. It said the EU's accounts were "chronically sordid".
The loss of the rebate would blow Mr Brown's precarious Budget sums off course. He is close to breaking his own fiscal rules and even with the rebate, Treasury forecasts show Britain's net contribution to the EU nearly rising sharply to £5.1 billion by 2008.
