UK NEWS
EU FRAUD COSTS £1MILLION A DAY
Fraud: The EU hasn't had its accounts signed off in 12 years
By Macer Hall, Political Editor
EUROPEAN Union fraud is costing taxpayers more than £1million for every working day, a Brussels report has revealed.
It marks a staggering increase of more than 11 per cent in just a year.
The extent of the fraud emerged as Prime Minister Gordon Brown made clear his support for the latest EU Treaty agreed by Tony Blair last month - despite criticism that the deal gives Brussels even more power to meddle in British affairs.
After talks with the current European President, Portuguese premier Jose Socrates, in Downing Street yesterday, he ruled out any automatic referendum on the treaty.
Figures from the European Commission showed 12,000 “irregular” transactions in 2006, with 2,050 resulting from fraud.
The Commission estimates that fraud costs European taxpayers £220million a year, equivalent to £1million for every working day.
|
If the people in charge of the EU budget were running a business they would have been sacked years ago.
|
Neil O’Brien, Open Europe
|
And while the total number of cases was broadly unchanged, the value of transactions affected by “irregularities” was up by 11.5 per cent, compared with 2005.
The Open Europe think-tank’s spokesman Neil O’Brien said: “The EU continues to lose vast sums of money to fraud. If the people in charge of the EU budget were running a business they would have been sacked years ago. The EU needs radical reform, not even more powers.
“The EU hasn’t had its accounts signed off for 12 years, and new problems seem to come to light every month.
"The EU’s failure to sort out its chronic problems makes it all the more vital that we have the referendum we were promised before we hand over any more powers.”
Italy, Belgium and Romania recorded the highest number of new cases investigated by the EU anti-fraud office in 2006.
Gordon Brown, after his Downing Street meeting, said: “I reaffirmed that we had secured our negotiating objectives and we want them reflected in all the agreements over the next few months.”
He insisted he would spend the next six months ensuring that Britain’s “red lines” – protecting the national veto over key issues including criminal justice, tax and benefits – are defended.
“If that were the case,” he said, “I would see no need to recommend to the British people that there were a referendum,”
But Tory Europe spokesman Mark Francois said: “One thing everyone knows about Gordon Brown is that you always have to read the small print. When you do, it shows that the so-called red lines are actually full of holes.”
EU FRAUD
10.07.07, 11:47pm
IT IS BEHOND BELIEF THAT TAX PAYERS MONEY IS BEING SQUANDERED AWAY BY FRAUD, AND THIS STUPID GOVERNMENT STAND BY AND LET IT HAPPEN , WHAT SORT OF RED LINES ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ????
I THINK THAT SCOT BROWN IS COLOUR BLIND
NOW WE NEED THE REFERENDUM MORE URGENTLY ,, NOT ON THE TREATY BUT ON GETTING OUT OF EUROPE ,
THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE WAY TO WAKE UP THIS BUNCH OF LOONIES , AND THAT WILL BE A MARCH TO 10 DOWNING STREET TO SHOW
THAT THE BRITISH PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH ,AND NEED A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT
THE FRENCH HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA . IF THEY DO NOTLIKE SOMETHING THEY HAVE A GENERAL STRIKE .WE COULD LEARN A LOT FROM THE FRENCH
HOW LONG DO WE PUT UP WITH THIS DICTATORAL GOVERNMENT ????
THE BRITISH PEOPLE ARE BEEING SH,,,T UPON
WITH THIS SCOTISH ILLEAGAL PRIMINISTER
WHO WAS NOT ELECTED BY THE BRITISH PEOPLE ..
HE IS WORSE THAN BLAIR
• Posted by: DEZG8MEC • Report Comment
EU FRAUD COSTS £1MILLION A DAY
10.07.07, 7:39pm
If a private or public company hadn't had their accounts signed off for 12 years it would have been shut down years ago. The EU seems to thrive on inefficiancy and wasting money. I think the best thing for every country in europe would be to disband the EU and to trade independantly like we used to.
I vote we come out today.
• Posted by: Vymnto • Report Comment
EU FRAUD COSTS £1MILLION A DAY
10.07.07, 3:18pm
So WHY is this just being accepted as fact?
WHERE is the Fraud Squad. WHYhasn't the whole system been shut down immediately until it is sorted?
WHY, WHY WHY, WHY WHY?
CORRUPT, THE WHOLE BLOODY LOT OF THEM.
BRITAIN OUT NOW!
• Posted by: Jac16 • Report Comment
ONE MORE REASON TO LEAVE THE EU
10.07.07, 12:04pm
We must leave the EU as soon as we can.
The first step is to ask for a referendum on the EU treaty.
If you didn't please sign this petition and pass around:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/EU-treaty-NON/
• Posted by: beppe74 • Report Comment
CRIME IS ACTUALLY AND OPENLY BEING SUPPORTED BY OUR GOVERNMENT!
10.07.07, 10:16am
If EU ‘government’ (?!?!) was compared to a large multinational business organisation then this situation is tantamount to the board of directors openly supporting crime (fraud and corruption) within that organisation – and the police would have a field day!
I fact it gets worse! What business organisation in the ‘real world’ is allowed to get away with not having its accounts signed off for a year, let alone 12? Yet again, in the ‘real world’ this would not be allowed to happen with the police and the tax man (at least) stepping in to take a closer look! Considering the length of time that these accounts have not been fully ‘investigated’ it sounds to me that this £1 million per day is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
The way I see it is that the British Government is therefore openly and actively supporting fraud, corruption and crime at a very high level and should therefore be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I would go further in suggesting that the PM as the head of, at least part of, this ‘organisation’ should be held accountable for the crimes that are being committed!
But of course this will never happen as ‘government’ is obviously above the law and, if necessary, can actually change the law to suit their own ends!
• Posted by: Cynical_sid • Report Comment
ICEBERG -TIP OF
10.07.07, 10:05am
EU fraud costing a mere £365 per annum? Carousel fraud which is possible only because of the EU indirect tax system, VAT to us in the UK, costs a whole lot more than that.
In March 2006 some out of touch senior manager in Customs and Excise declared that as this fraud was now stable at £200million per month –that’s right £200,000,000 per month, we were on top of it at last. The next month’s figures showed the fraud running at £400 million and about half the vat visiting staff suddenly found themselves transferred to teams dealing with this massive attack on the tax system.
It is out of control, other EU countries do not suffer anywhere near this level of fraud although they have the same indirect tax and as a result our Chancellor’s pathetic attempts to do something about it are thwarted at every turn.
A common factor is that the refunds of vat usually go into offshore or non EU banks…the idea that all vat refunds should only go via UK based bank for refunds of UK vat which would reduce the fraud to a trickle and enable identification of the ‘’players’’ is not in keeping with the spirit of the EU so we will continue to haemorrhage tax to criminals for ever more.
The Revenue and Customs own Intranet site had a list of the main priorities and achievements over the past five years.
At number one was the increased provision of family / child friendly working practices. At number five was the statement that ‘’we have moved quickly and effectively to deal with Carousel fraud’’. Quickly? It has been going on virtually unchecked for at least 8 years.. effectively? I leave you to judge.
Anyone agree with me that the sense of priorities is slightly askew?
• Posted by: Insider • Report Comment
To view all 'Have Your Say' comments, click this button...