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EU costs every family £4,700, says new study Tuesday, 10th March 2009  £4,700 a year: that's the cost of Britain's membership of the European Union to the average household, according to new research by the Taxpayers' Alliance. That's £2,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.
Roger Helmer, Conservative MEP for the East Midlands, has launched a hard-hitting advertising campaign across the region to highlight the huge cost of the EU to taxpayers. Featuring the slogan: "The EU: It'll have the shirt off your back", it focuses on the massive economic penalties of EU membership. The slogan is backed up by fuller details on Mr. Helmer's web-site, setting out the economic costs of membership, and other consequences of EU rules that affect people up and down the region -- like post office closures and fortnightly rubbish collections, which are driven by EU regulations. Full details of the Taxpayers' Alliance research are available on www.taxpayersalliance.com. The campaign comes as many families across Britain, and across the East Midlands, are suffering from financial challenges, and many are worried about their jobs, their businesses and their mortgages. Helmer argues that this is the right time to highlight the wastefulness of the European Union, and how it is making Britain less competitive in a globalised world. Commenting on his campaign, which appears in major regional papers in March, Helmer says: "The costs of EU membership were too high even in the good times -- and are getting worse following Tony Blair's agreement to start giving up the British rebate. But now that we're facing the worst recession in living memory, these costs are simply unsupportable". Speaking of the advert, Mr Helmer commented; "I'm delighted with the ad. It's a compelling image which commands attention, and it makes its point with economy and with humour. I fully expect that a few socialist kill-joys will call it sexist -- but then I don't do political correctness!" A postcard featuring the ad, and the key points about EU costs is available from Mr Helmer's office at: pressoffice@eastmidsmeps.co.uk or Boswell House, 9 Prospect Court, Courteenhall Road, Blisworth, Northamptonshire, NN7 3DG. ENDS |