A German MEP has denounced a proposed EU scheme of “taxation without representation” that would leave Germany a “tax colony” of an “EU empire”.
Dr. Gunnar Beck, a German member of the European Parliament, has slammed an attempt by Eurocrats to remove each individual EU member state’s national veto on tax matters, instead leaving the issue up to a simple “qualified majority” vote.
The move has been sparked by Hungary’s refusal to sign up to a transnational deal that would effectively set a worldwide minimal tax rate of 15 per cent for multinationals.
While other holdouts within Europe — such as notorious tax haven Ireland — have since caved to demands from Brussels to agree to the deal at a European level, Hungary has refused to allow the EU as a whole to sign on, saying that it will only agree to the plan should it get guarantees that firms in Hungary will not be negatively affected.
This has prompted mass outrage from hardline Eurocrats, who now want to throw out the notion of national vetoes entirely, which they now claim “have consistently hampered progress in many key tax policy areas” and risk “perpetuating harmful tax practices and social injustices that prevent the Union from functioning effectively”.
Speaking against the move to scrap the veto, however, Dr. Beck alleges that a move to a qualified majority rule system would allow the EU to impose tax regimes on countries without their consent.
“This means that the EU could shape the German tax system completely against the will of the Bundestag and the federal government,” the Alternative für Deutschland politician said in a statement given to Breitbart Europe. “It would degrade Germany from an EU member state to a tax colony of the EU empire”.
“This is Besteuerung ohne Vertretung, ie ‘taxation without representation’,” the parliamentarian also said, referencing the famous rallying cry “no taxation without representation” used by many of those involved in the American Revolution.
Despite the concerns, the proposal managed to get the approval of the bloc’s parliament during a vote on Wednesday.
While this latest scheme from pro-EU politicians is no doubt a concern for many in the bloc, not all news coming out of the EU Parliament on Wednesday was bad.
For example, a scheme by climate crazy groups in Europe to kick out gas and nuclear from the bloc’s new renewable energy investment taxonomy was foiled in a vote on Wednesday morning.
Long the bugbear of the likes of Greta Thunberg and other green agenda-loving talking heads across the continent, the parliament seems to have finally put an end to the eco-revolt.
“This is a victory of reason,” Dr. Beck said in a separate statement seen by Breitbart Europe, with the MEP describing nuclear and gas energy as being essential for the German economy, an understandable assessment considering the ongoing energy crisis gripping the country right now.
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