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Times Online - Newspaper Edition
Britain’s rebate and our net contribution to the growing EU budget
From Mr Ashley Mote, MEP for South East Region (Independent)

Sir, The attack by Dalia Grybauskaite, the European Budget Commissioner, on the British rebate (report, January 14) portrays the EU as a source of charity. She appears committed to the redistribution of wealth.

The EUs income is determined not by need, nor even according to any planned budget. It is based merely on percentages of Customs duty and VAT collected by each member state, and a percentage of that country`s GDP. The more each country thrives, the more the EU takes. The reverse is also true.

By any normal standards, EU budget planning is non-existent. There is no meaningful relationship between income, need and expenditure. As a result, vast surplus funds sit idle under the EU`s control, far beyond even unanticipated contingencies like the tsunami disaster.

Much of the excess has been accumulated at British taxpayers expense.

Yours sincerely,
ASHLEY MOTE