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Bastards
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2467531_2,00.html
:grump:
Allowing differing duties goes against the idea of a common market, which i thought was the point of European integration and the existance of an EU court to facilitate freer trade by enforcing EU wide policy and standards.
The article mentions mail order imports could damage local business, but if duties were harmonised they wouldn't damage businesses anymore than UK based mail order would; harmonised duties would even allow UK companies to compete on the continent.
Should duties on alcohol and tobacco within the EU be harmonised?
:grump:
Allowing differing duties goes against the idea of a common market, which i thought was the point of European integration and the existance of an EU court to facilitate freer trade by enforcing EU wide policy and standards.
The article mentions mail order imports could damage local business, but if duties were harmonised they wouldn't damage businesses anymore than UK based mail order would; harmonised duties would even allow UK companies to compete on the continent.
Should duties on alcohol and tobacco within the EU be harmonised?
0
Comments
I'd be quite happy for the overall tax burden to go down, but as it isn't I'd prefer to be taxed on socially bad consumer choices than on my salary.
Exactly. £16billion has to come from somewhere and as smokers and drinkers require no where near that amount to be 'fixed' by the NHS, the surplus means that they are an easy pocket to fleece ...
0% is harmonious with me.
There is the argument, of course, that if tax was lowered to French levels then the UK treasury wouldn't see £3.5bn of tax revenue float away on a SeaCat to Calais; if UK tax levels were lower than France, then we'd get the extra people coming to us for their cigs and booze, and we'd make more money.
I happen to think that if UK taxation was lowered to French levels then we'd see an increase in taxation obtained from tobacco and alcohol- not only would it make people buy cigs and booze in the UK rather than abroad, it would cut out the bootleggers, so more UK trade would go through legitimate tills, raising tax income.
The highest tax rates don't necessarily proudce the highest tax yields- Thatcher proved that when she lowered the income tax rate to 40%, and the income tax revenue increased as the wealthy stopped moving their money to Bermuda.
Germany is cheap as tbh!
It is estimated that the cost to the UK Treasury of people going to France for their booze and cigs is about £2bn.
If lowering taxes keeps £1bn of that in this country, then I'm all for it.