EU budget talks break down

Talks broke down on Thursday night after the European Parliament demanded a say over new EU taxes as the price for dropping a Brussels budget demand that would have cost British taxpayers an extra £880 million next year.

A rather empty looking European parliament during the mini plenary session in Brussels

MEPs were told by national finance ministers that their ultimatum that the parliament should have a direct part in giving the EU tax raising powers after 2013, was "completely unacceptable".

Justine Greening, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said that Britain had been joined by Germany and other countries in refusing to begin a discussion "on effectively an EU tax".

"It was clear that today's meeting was neither the time nor the place to be talking about broader issues that are separate from the budget 2011 discussion that we needed to have," she said.

MEPs support the idea that Brussels budgets can be funded by EU taxation via "a separate EU VAT rate, a share of an EU energy tax or of an EU corporate income tax", rather than from resented contributions from national treasuries.

Last month the parliament voted for a £6.5 billion Brussels budget increase, in a bid to increase EU expenditure by six per cent to £114.5bn next year.

Two weeks ago at a summit in Brussels, David Cameron rallied Germany, France and 11 countries in opposition to the rise which came at time of deep cuts to public spending in Britain. An agreement secured by the Prime Minister, who abandoned a previous pledge to freeze EU spending, set a maximum 2.9 per cent ceiling for the increase.

During bad-tempered negotiations that lasted six and half hours, MEPs said they would only accept

Talks broke down on Thursday night after the European Parliament demanded a say over new EU taxes as the price for dropping a Brussels budget demand that would have cost British taxpayers an extra £880 million next year. MEPs were told by national finance ministers that their ultimatum that the parliament should have a direct part in giving the EU tax raising powers after 2013, was "completely unacceptable". Justine Greening, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said that Britain had been joined by Germany and other countries in refusing to begin a discussion "on effectively an EU tax"... Two weeks ago at a summit in Brussels, David Cameron rallied Germany, France and 11 countries in opposition to the rise which came at time of deep cuts to public spending in Britain. An agreement secured by the Prime Minister, who abandoned a previous pledge to freeze EU spending, set a maximum 2.9 per cent ceiling for the increase.

Thanks bruinbirdman. It should be amply clear to all world leaders that Obama's not really lying all the time, he's just too stupid to know what his puppetmasters are having him say. When he throws a private tantrum and sez he won't do it anymore, they sent him on a golf outing, shopping trip with Michelle, or pickup game of hoops, and he's good to go for a little longer.

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Americans can't buy the world's prosperity: Obama [6/27/2010] -- Debt-ridden Americans can no longer "borrow and buy" the world's way toward prosperity, US President Barack Obama has said, warning new drivers of growth were needed to fuel global recovery. "After years of taking on too much debt, Americans cannot -- and will not -- borrow and buy the world's way to lasting prosperity," Obama said at the end of G20 talks focused on ending the lingering effects of the economic crisis..."No nation should assume its path to prosperity is paved with exports to America. Indeed, I've made it clear that the United States will compete aggressively for the jobs and industries and markets of the future," he said. Obama has vowed to double US exports in five years. He won some backing from his G20 partners... As part of the effort to remake the global recovery Obama insisted that countries must not have any "undue advantage," urging China to allow its currency to strengthen.

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