Tampon Tax : who should decide

chewmylegoff

mystic_trev wrote: »

Does he live in a period property?

Yes, it has lovely features but the painters are always in.

antrobus

cells wrote: »

well they are clearly wrong....

Well obviously.

Given the choice between believing what someone with a doctorate in economics is telling me and some twonk off the internet who once over-estimated the size of the global taxi market by a factor of ten is telling me, then obviously I'm going to believe the twonk off the internet.

westernpromise

chewmylegoff wrote: »

Yes, it has lovely features but the painters are always in.

Very annoying when auntie comes to stay.

Like living next door to the Horse Guards - they're always trooping the colour.

savepete

cells wrote: »

why do you try to make closer union a negative for all things?

I think its likely in the long run the EU will want its members to have very similar duties and sales taxes on products and services. So fuel duty or Alcohol duties will I think converge into a narrow band.

It makes sense as it would get rid of the incentive for EU nations to 'steal' each others retail sales. Also on a logical point it makes sense why drive 100 miles to France to avoid duties to buy bottles of wine and 100 miles back when the same wines are available 1 mile away at your local Tesco.

There may also be some push to stop EU nations stealing each others corp taxes (think Ireland) unless a way of accounting can be put into place to stop multinationals moving profits artificially to the lower corp tax EU nations.

I once drove from Denmark into Germany. Close to the German border I noticed many 'adult stores', but once across the border in Germany there were lots of shops selling alcohol in all forms and sizes...

Linton

michaels wrote: »

Surely the corollary to the free movement of labour should be harmonized income tax rates and benefits? Otherwise one country could give itself a competitive advantage in employment and suck up all the unemployed but motivated from across the continent causing a brain drain that would severekly damage the less successful economies putting a strain on their health services as just one example?

Eventually - yes. In perhaps several decades time when the economies of the member states have converged rather more than at present it may well make sense. In the current situation it isnt politically or economically practical.