Over the next few years, we can expect the Conservatives and the right-wing press to take every opportunity to spread myths about the EU in order to win public support for David Cameron’s madcap renegotiation strategy. A useful example of this tactic was offered by George Osborne during his interview with the BBC this morning. The Chancellor remarked that “a lot of big British businesses and small businesses came out last week and said actually one of Britain’s problems are the taxes and regulations from Europe”.
There are many things that one can blame on the EU but “taxes” are not one of them, for the simple reason that it doesn’t levy any. At no point in the history of European integration have national governments ever surrendered control of taxation to Brussels. As the EU’s website helpfully explains:
Content from our partners
