EU spending up and they're taking more from us
Discussion
The EU is for free trade in Europe and nowhere else, really. It's 'Economic Partnership Agreements' or whatever they are are essentially neo-imperialist crap. 'We import the cheapest Mexican goods tariff free, and you (Mexico) lower your tariffs on our expensive, German made goods,' They claim to be 'free trade', but the WTO hates the EU because they generally work in the interest of French farmers and German industry, very little do they actually care about anyone outside the continent. And to 'oh, but the EU is the world's biggest aid donor', that doesn't mean jack-s
t, because since when do places like Zimbabwe or Zambia (Which have massive, unused farmland) need bloody soy-beans grown in Limousin? Huh? NO, THEY NEED A FREE, EUROPEAN MARKET FOR THEIR FOOD, FFS.
And, Blair cancelled the UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty here because France, Holland and Ireland voted no, so he though that would be the end of it. What he didn't expect was that the EU would force them to vote on them again and again until they all said yes. Then, the treaty was passed, but he couldn't go back to Europe and be like 'whoops, sorry, just gotta have a referendum i've already cancelled'.
He didn't say this, though, likely because it looks a little disorganized, if you think about it.
t, because since when do places like Zimbabwe or Zambia (Which have massive, unused farmland) need bloody soy-beans grown in Limousin? Huh? NO, THEY NEED A FREE, EUROPEAN MARKET FOR THEIR FOOD, FFS.And, Blair cancelled the UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty here because France, Holland and Ireland voted no, so he though that would be the end of it. What he didn't expect was that the EU would force them to vote on them again and again until they all said yes. Then, the treaty was passed, but he couldn't go back to Europe and be like 'whoops, sorry, just gotta have a referendum i've already cancelled'.
He didn't say this, though, likely because it looks a little disorganized, if you think about it.
F93 said:
The EU is for free trade in Europe
But it isn't free is it? Try the 'driving back from France with a van full of wine' test.
And we are certainly trapped by more regulations than ever.
The Chinese, taiwanese etc laugh at our 'free trade'. Why do you think EU goods cost so much? It's because EU trade is not free at all, it's a bloody expensive tangled mess.
F93 said:
And, Blair cancelled the UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty here because France, Holland and Ireland voted no, so he though that would be the end of it. What he didn't expect was that the EU would force them to vote on them again and again until they all said yes. Then, the treaty was passed, but he couldn't go back to Europe and be like 'whoops, sorry, just gotta have a referendum i've already cancelled'.
That's a lovely explanation but somehow with the same result: We got the shaft.There IS no excuse, he IS a traitor, we should have our referendum.
Globs said:
The Chinese, taiwanese etc laugh at our 'free trade'. Why do you think EU goods cost so much? It's because EU trade is not free at all, it's a bloody expensive tangled mess.
The reason Chinese goods cost so much 'less' is due greatly to the following:"The official poverty line will be moved up too, from half a dollar a day now to 63 cents, about half of the UN standard of $1.2.
That still means more than 100 million people will be designated as below the poverty line and receive low-income and housing benefits from the government."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13156...
If you were to accept similar living and working conditions as the majority of the Chinese, you should be able to start competing with them. However, I prefer to pay 'more' tax and have what I see as a much better life.
Silver993tt said:
Globs said:
The Chinese, taiwanese etc laugh at our 'free trade'. Why do you think EU goods cost so much? It's because EU trade is not free at all, it's a bloody expensive tangled mess.
The reason Chinese goods cost so much 'less' is due greatly to the following:"The official poverty line will be moved up too, from half a dollar a day now to 63 cents, about half of the UN standard of $1.2.
That still means more than 100 million people will be designated as below the poverty line and receive low-income and housing benefits from the government."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13156...
If you were to accept similar living and working conditions as the majority of the Chinese, you should be able to start competing with them. However, I prefer to pay 'more' tax and have what I see as a much better life.
As does Taiwan.
The fact that we are heavily regulated, heavily taxed, nurturing an ambulance chasing culture, paying for two governments and forced to support c.8m economically inactive people, has made setting up business in the UK prohibitive. Just driving to work these days requires a fortune, or you could move closer - spending another fortune on stamp duty. Then you have to eat.
The chinese have less obstacles and cheaper labour. And you know a big reason for the cheaper labour? Lower taxes - because the chinese state is almost half the size of ours (by GDP) and much less than half if you lump in the dead weight of the EU cronies and interfering busybodies.
I prefer to pay 'less' tax and have what I see as a much better life.
Globs said:
Singapore sort of blows your theory out of the water doesn't it?
As does Taiwan.
The fact that we are heavily regulated, heavily taxed, nurturing an ambulance chasing culture, paying for two governments and forced to support c.8m economically inactive people, has made setting up business in the UK prohibitive. Just driving to work these days requires a fortune, or you could move closer - spending another fortune on stamp duty. Then you have to eat.
The chinese have less obstacles and cheaper labour. And you know a big reason for the cheaper labour? Lower taxes - because the chinese state is almost half the size of ours (by GDP) and much less than half if you lump in the dead weight of the EU cronies and interfering busybodies.
I prefer to pay 'less' tax and have what I see as a much better life.
From a business perspective, there are perfectly open and legal ways to pay very low corporation tax within the EU, some with a maximum of only 5% on all profits. So, low tax opportunities exist within the EU but I think the work ethic is missing from countries such as the UK - hence the many hardworking EU immigrants who have filled that vacuum. Nothing to do with the EU restricting anything, simply certain populations not hungry enough to work/innovate/plan for the long term.As does Taiwan.
The fact that we are heavily regulated, heavily taxed, nurturing an ambulance chasing culture, paying for two governments and forced to support c.8m economically inactive people, has made setting up business in the UK prohibitive. Just driving to work these days requires a fortune, or you could move closer - spending another fortune on stamp duty. Then you have to eat.
The chinese have less obstacles and cheaper labour. And you know a big reason for the cheaper labour? Lower taxes - because the chinese state is almost half the size of ours (by GDP) and much less than half if you lump in the dead weight of the EU cronies and interfering busybodies.
I prefer to pay 'less' tax and have what I see as a much better life.
Silver993tt said:
From a business perspective, there are perfectly open and legal ways to pay very low corporation tax within the EU
I'm in the UK, which fits your description. Without giving all my profits to an accountant I pay 20% corporation tax now I think.Then I have health and safety, employment law, ambulance chasers, reams of little 'schemes' for this and that, reams of EU rules, CE compliance etc.
The EU is uncompetitive because taxes are too high and regulation to inpenetrable. It's not just me saying it, everyone in business I meet says it, the red tape overhead is ridiculous - even working out PAYE is a nightmare now FFS, we have the most complex tax code in the world - and that's just the tax. Then add the regulations and there's no time or money left to run a business. The Chinese are laughing at us, and I can see why.
And I can prove it: Watch the EU fold while China, India, Taiwan, South Korea all pull ahead.
HA! No work ethic in the UK? We strike the least in Europe, we work the longest hours in Europe and have the shortest and fewest holidays in Europe. We're more productive than most countries in the EU (granted, France is pretty good productivity wise and Germany so-so).
Let's not forget, the OECD and Goldman Sachs both predict that the UK will overtake Germany as the biggest economy in Europe by 2040. But does any EU policy show any respect to this? No, instead its just regualting every nitty-gritty minute part of life with millions of regulations that pursue the European version of human rights which is laden with socialism rather than liberalism which is what the UK respects more.
Nothing wrong with that, there's just too much culture clash between us both.
Let's not forget, the OECD and Goldman Sachs both predict that the UK will overtake Germany as the biggest economy in Europe by 2040. But does any EU policy show any respect to this? No, instead its just regualting every nitty-gritty minute part of life with millions of regulations that pursue the European version of human rights which is laden with socialism rather than liberalism which is what the UK respects more.
Nothing wrong with that, there's just too much culture clash between us both.
F93 said:
HA! No work ethic in the UK? We strike the least in Europe, we work the longest hours in Europe and have the shortest and fewest holidays in Europe. We're more productive than most countries in the EU (granted, France is pretty good productivity wise and Germany so-so).
Germany has the most productive economy in the EU and has had so by a long way for many years. It was also the largest exporter worldwide ahead of China until last year.F93 said:
Let's not forget, the OECD and Goldman Sachs both predict that the UK will overtake Germany as the biggest economy in Europe by 2040.
So a prediction 30 years into the future? That's laughable since no institution is accountable for such nonsense. We're tallking about now and the next 5-10 years.Working the longest hours in Europe does not mean increased productivity, sure many people are at work for hours but they deliver and produce mucgh less than many other continental countries in those hours. Inefficiency soon kills that and proven by the terrible state of the UK economy whereas, for example, the German economy is booming because thay plan long term and have an enormous manufacturing and engineering base plus their education system way ahead that of the UK. Having a career in engineering/manufacturing is highly prized and valued the same as a university course unlike in the UK where unless you're at university, you're on the scrap heap.
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