EU rewarding failure with Britain’s £1.7bn penalty levy

BRITAIN has been more successful in recovering from the recent recession and is better placed economically than many other members of the European Union (EU).

Owing to these achievements, the EU has given us a bill for £1.7bn, originally due to be paid by December 1, which will be shared between member states who have not been as prudent.

Somehow saying £1.7bn doesn’t seem so huge, so I prefer to think of this as one thousand seven hundred million pounds. Imagine this sum being given 
to the NHS, Police or Armed forces.

But, have I got this right? The EU has somehow calculated than this enormous sum is relevant and accurate; it can be levied without further examination, and it must be paid in the very short period of six weeks, or failure to pay will incur hefty fines.

All this for being more successful than other members at tackling debt – it seems rewarding failure is not the prerogative of Britain.

Is this the same organisation whose accounts have not been approved by auditors for well over a decade?

Is this the same organisation which has wasted vast, but unknown sums of money, by moving its headquarters from Brussels to Strasbourg and back again, every month for the last 40 odd years?

But it seems all this horrendous waste should be forgotten and the EU should, instead, penalise those dreadful Brits for being more efficient. The amount of the bill seems to have been plucked from the air and mirrors the state of the rest of the EU’s accounts.

It is so dubious that there are already suggestions that it will be cut in half, so, I suppose an overstated £850m in the original demand, when everything else is taken into account, may be seen as very reasonable and understandable.

If only we could harness all the hot air which emanates from Brussels, we could really influence climate change.

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

The current controversy over the UK rebate has produced yet another slew of letters from the usual suspects.

The time is long overdue for some credit to be given to the Union for preserving the peace of Europe for an unprecedented period. I am confident the advantages of membership of the EU will be accepted when the time comes. Certainly our business leaders seem to be in no doubt.