juneau
26th May 2009, 08:57 AM
Not suprising really. But at least now we know where all our money is going too.
GREEDY Euro MPs rake in up to ?363,250 A YEAR in expenses — without producing a single receipt.
The taxpayers’ cash they pocket dwarfs the amounts claimed by Westminster MPs, whose milking of the system sparked outrage.
During the five-year term of a Brussels parliament, an MEP can clock-up an eye-watering ?1,816,250 in expenses. They even get free mudbaths.
On top of that the Euro fatcats will soon be on a basic salary of ?83,282, after awarding themselves a pay rise of 47 PER CENT. They pay income tax of just 15 PER CENT on it.
British workers on that money pay 40 per cent top rate tax, which is rising to 50 per cent.
But the gravy train does not stop there. When they leave, MEPs are awarded ?41,573 in “transition payments” and pension rights of ?30,000 a year.
Hard-pressed British taxpayers are pouring ?7BILLION a year into the EU.
And there are no penalties for leaving anything off the register of interests.
Taxpayers are also forced to fund the extraordinary ?180million-a-year cost of the European Parliament sitting in Brussels AND Strasbourg.
Its 1,745 workers and their offices, including their paperwork, are shipped between Belgium and France every month — at our expense.
This trek has become known as the “travelling circus”.
And the European Parliament has done all it can to hush up the shocking gravy train.
A report written in 2006 by the EU’s Internal Audit official Robert Galvin has only been seen by a handful of MEPs and was kept secret until last year.
It showed MEPs were paying companies for office and staff support — which turned out to be a children’s day-care centre and a company which traded wood. Bonuses were regularly paid to staff of up to 19 TIMES salary.
This makes my blood boil. :pissed:
GREEDY Euro MPs rake in up to ?363,250 A YEAR in expenses — without producing a single receipt.
The taxpayers’ cash they pocket dwarfs the amounts claimed by Westminster MPs, whose milking of the system sparked outrage.
During the five-year term of a Brussels parliament, an MEP can clock-up an eye-watering ?1,816,250 in expenses. They even get free mudbaths.
On top of that the Euro fatcats will soon be on a basic salary of ?83,282, after awarding themselves a pay rise of 47 PER CENT. They pay income tax of just 15 PER CENT on it.
British workers on that money pay 40 per cent top rate tax, which is rising to 50 per cent.
But the gravy train does not stop there. When they leave, MEPs are awarded ?41,573 in “transition payments” and pension rights of ?30,000 a year.
Hard-pressed British taxpayers are pouring ?7BILLION a year into the EU.
And there are no penalties for leaving anything off the register of interests.
Taxpayers are also forced to fund the extraordinary ?180million-a-year cost of the European Parliament sitting in Brussels AND Strasbourg.
Its 1,745 workers and their offices, including their paperwork, are shipped between Belgium and France every month — at our expense.
This trek has become known as the “travelling circus”.
And the European Parliament has done all it can to hush up the shocking gravy train.
A report written in 2006 by the EU’s Internal Audit official Robert Galvin has only been seen by a handful of MEPs and was kept secret until last year.
It showed MEPs were paying companies for office and staff support — which turned out to be a children’s day-care centre and a company which traded wood. Bonuses were regularly paid to staff of up to 19 TIMES salary.
This makes my blood boil. :pissed: