Brexit reflections so far

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Sigh.

We could:

1 Remove VAT on tampons.

2 Ignore European State Aid rules which restrict the ability of the U.K. Government to provide tax incentives/reliefs to start up companies.

3 Repeal/amend thousands of pages of poorly drafted financial services legislation that has added unnecessary costs onto anyone who has a pension, thereby depressing returns.

Do you want me to go on?

As for state aid rules they serve as a protection against unfair government intervention and you want to do away with it and other financial regulation after what transpired in 2008?

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Yes. The U.K. is requesting the European Commission bring forward a proposal as I set out.

Until the Commission does, we cannot remove VAT. And a single country could block this.

I could just as easily have said the ability to remove VAT on heating fuel and electricity to help old people heat and light their homes in winter and reduce fuel pove ...[text shortened]... n law and no proposal on the table to do so, as far as I am aware.

Is that 'tangible' enough?

No its not, its a nonsense. Given a little time the UK would easily have the ability to reduce taxation on sanitary products in line with every other member state of the EU. This power has been granted to us and you cannot therefore cite this as tangible benefit of devolution for we already posses it, if not in practice in principle. I thought you stated elsewhere that there was no EU mandate on taxation and that every member state was allowed to decide it own tax matters? Was that for specific areas of taxation?

You will forgive me but it seems rather unsettling that we cannot set VAT on a packet of tampons but we are allowed to make deals with tax dodging internet corporations.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
No its not, its a nonsense. Given a little time the UK would easily have the ability to reduce taxation on sanitary products in line with every other member state of the EU. This power has been granted to us and you cannot therefore cite this as tangible benefit of devolution for we already posses it, if not in practice in principle. I thought you ...[text shortened]... on a packet of tampons but we are allowed to make deals with tax dodging internet corporations.

No, we have no power to remove VAT on tampons, heating or electricity. That is just a fact.

The power to remove it from tampons has not been granted yet. Once we leave the EU, we would not need to ask permission.

Would you not favour a reduction of VAT on heating fuel? Or electricity?

My reference to member state discretion in taxation related to direct taxation. VAT is an indirect tax.

p.s. If it doesn't blow your mind, we can increase the rate of VAT on tampons. We just can't remove it.

Have fun with that one.....

Originally posted by Rank outsider
No, we have no power to remove VAT on tampons, heating or electricity. That is just a fact.

The power to remove it from tampons has not been granted yet. Once we leave the EU, we would not need to ask permission.

Would you not favour a reduction of VAT on heating fuel? Or electricity?

My reference to member state discretion in taxation relat ...[text shortened]... an increase the rate of VAT on tampons. We just can't remove it.

Have fun with that one.....

Hmm its not that convincing because we only pay a minimal amount of taxation on domestic fuel anyway and yet we have one of the highest prices for domestic services in Europe.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/energy-bills/11941251/British-energy-firms-charge-most-for-electricity-in-Europe-why.html

Clearly the system is crazy, maybe the UK is better off out of it after all.

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As a member of the EU, the UK is also treaty-bound to implement and abide by the European Convention on Human Rights. As there is no native British bill of rights, as soon as the UK leaves the EU, there will be no bill of rights in force at all in the UK. This means that there be would nothing to stop Parliament from implementing draconian measures, and no binding judicial process or effective remedy (such as the EU Court of Human Rights) for striking down unjust legislation . Without constitutional limits on power, the only recourse to bad legislation is to vote out MPs who pass bad legislation, vote in others, and hope the others will un-make bad laws.

Specifically, with reference to Article 16, the EU Court has ruled that European Union member states cannot consider the nationals of other member states to be aliens. If the UK leaves the EU, then UK citizens shall be deemed aliens by the remaining EU states, and those states may therefore subject UK citizens living in the EU to rules, procedures, and restrictions not applicable to residents of EU member states. This could prove to be a tangible dis-improvement for UK citizens living and working in the EU.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Convention_on_Human_Rights

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Are you secure in the knowledge that MI6 is monitoring all telecommunications and handing over anything they can get their hands on to the NSA?

Are you secure in the knowledge that Britain outside the EU could re-instate the death penalty, and that the last man hanged in Britain was executed for a crime he did not commit?

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Yes. Decentralized power. (At any rate, someone here mentioned that as a tangible benefit.)

Originally posted by moonbus
As a member of the EU, the UK is also treaty-bound to implement and abide by the European Convention on Human Rights. As there is no native British bill of rights, as soon as the UK leaves the EU, there will be no bill of rights in force at all in the UK.

Perhaps the fact the UK is a signatory to that convention will not be abrogated by a rejection and exit from the economic arrangements of the E.U. One of the possible candidates for the Tory leadership, yesterday on the radio, seemed to concede that the UK would still be bound by it. I don't know for sure if that's so. It is an area of concern for me, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out.

Originally posted by moonbus
As a member of the EU, the UK is also treaty-bound to implement and abide by the European Convention on Human Rights. As there is no native British bill of rights, as soon as the UK leaves the EU, there will be no bill of rights in force at all in the UK. This means that there be would nothing to stop Parliament from implementing draconian measures, and no b ...[text shortened]... ving and working in the EU.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Convention_on_Human_Rights

Let us take an example of a UK student studying at a University in the Netherlands. As an EU student she is charged tuition fees in accordance with those charged by the Dutch state on its own citizens. As an oversees non European student her tuition fees are almost four times those of a member state of the EU Ouch.

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Gee we can control indirect taxes on stuff like sanitary towels, Awesome! What a great reason. I dont know if there is any tangible benefits to Scotland leaving the UK, but if you can cite have full fiscal control over taxation on tampons as a reason for leaving the EU I am sure I can rustle something up, Maybe tartan coloured passports? that might be a benefit.