Friday, 3 April 2009

TaxPayers' Alliance Bulletin - 3rd April 2009
 
The £10.3 billion EU agriculture bill
 
A new TPA report, 'Food for Thought' published on Monday, revealed that the EU's Common Agricultural Policy costs British consumers and taxpayers a massive £10.3 billion a year in higher food bills and taxes - that is £400 a year for every family in the country. £400 a year would a lot at the best of times, but in the middle of a recession, with millions struggling to make ends meet, it is shocking that we are paying higher taxes to fund a system that increases our bills at the supermarket checkout.
 
As well as the high cost to consumers and taxpayers, the report also exposes the unfairness of the scheme to British farmers, and the absurdities of how the EU's subsidies are distributed:
  • British farmers get a raw deal from the CAP. The UK has about as much farmland as Germany, but gets 60 per cent of its level of grants. The UK has about a seventh more farmland than Italy, but gets a fifth less money. France gets the lion’s share of the grants, with approaching a fifth of the whole CAP budget. 
  • The famous food mountains of the 1990s are making a comeback. At taxpayers' expense, the EU already stores 717,810 tonnes of cereal and grain, 41,442 tonnes of sugar and 2.3 million hectolitres of inferior wine – enough to fill around 92 Olympic sized swimming pools. Pledges have recently been made to buy up and store 30,000 tonnes of butter and 109,000 tonnes of skimmed powdered milk. While consumers are forced to artificially high prices in the shops, their taxes are being spent on stockpiling food to drive prices up further. 
  • The EU's CAP spending includes large amounts of waste and hypocrisy. For example, the EU spends £17.1 million a year researching and advertising the health risks of smoking tobacco. However, the EU also spends £234 million a year supporting the income of European tobacco farmers.
  • Data from farmsubsidies.org, referenced in the report, shows that the largest recipients of taxpayers' money under the CAP are not struggling subsistence farmers but large corporations and Government bodies such as Tate and Lyle (£357 million a year), Nestle UK (£38 million), Incineration Scotland (£17 million), Wessex Incineration (£15 million), Fibrogen (£5 million), Cadbury (£3.7 million).  
The full report can be read here.
 
New TPA video goes down a storm
 
The Youtube video we produced to publicise the cost of the Common Agricultural Policy has gone down a storm on the internet and in the blogosphere. The video, which features celebrity chef Jamie Oliveoil presenting his recipe for an EU Agriculture Fudge, has received over 12,400 hits since its release on Monday.  It is the 5th most viewed youtube news and politics video this week, and has already hit the charts for the most viewed news and politics video of the month. As well as being a hit in Britain, it is also climbing the charts around the world from Sweden to New Zealand!
 
You can watch the video here - and please do pass it on to friends, family and colleagues, and post it on your website or blog. Let's keep this thing rolling!
 
The report and the video were picked up widley in the mainstream media and in the blogosphere:
 
Daily Express, Exclusive: How the EU puts 20% on our food bills
Daily Telegraph, CAP costs UK families £400  
Scotsman, Fact of the day
Guido Fawkes, Lunchtime with Jamie Oliveoil 
Newcastle Journal, UK loses out on CAP payments
Yorkshire Post, EU farm policy 'costs Britons £10.3bn'
Glasgow Daily Record, EU's Common Agricultural Policy costs British families £400
Samizdata.net, Pure genius from the TaxPayers' Alliance 
ConservativeHome, The TaxPayers' Alliance's recipe for EU Agriculture Fudge presented by "Jamie Oliveoil"
Liberty Balloon, New TaxPayers' Alliance video 
Heritage Foundation Insider Online, Hitting the CAP
Cato @ Liberty, Amusing, but Tragically Accurate, Video on Ag Subsidies from the U.K.’s Taxpayers Alliance  
Atlas Foundation, Taxpayers’ Alliance Takes Aim at Common Agricultural Policy  
Adam Smith Institute, Jamie Oliveoil recipe for EU agriculture fudge
Open Europe Blog, Recipe for disaster
Libertas.EU, EU Fudge  
The Devil's Kitchen, An EU agriculture fudge
Daniel Hannan MEP, The cost-free-stimulus package: scrap the CAP
EurSoc, An EU Stew
Social Media Forum, Blogosphere Round-up
Farmers Guardian, NFU rejects claim that British families waste £400 a year on CAP
BristolDave, If the CAP fits...
Barrett Blog, Jamie Oliveoil cooks EU Agricultural Fudge
Blaney's Blarney, The TaxPayers' Alliance rips into the EU
Svansbo (Sweden), Jamie Oliveoil om CAP
The Last Ditch (Russia), EU Fudge
Curly's Corner Shop, EU Fudge
The Practical Theonomist (Canada), EU Fudge
Shane Greer, How to Make EU Fudge 
CafeBabel, Jamie Oliveoil cooks EU fudge 
Liveleak, News Mashup Featuring EU Fudge
EconStudent Log (Denmark), EU-fudge
Club Food, Jamie Oliveoil recipe for EU Agriculture Fudge
Three Sources.com, EU Fudge
Anorak News, Jamie Oliver On The Taxpayers’ Alliance
UKIP, Jamie's recipe for EU fudge
Burning Our Money, Jamie Does The EU
CAPHealthCheck.EU, Jamie Oliveoil explains the politics of the CAP
Conservative Future, Jamie Oliveoil’s recipe for EU agriculture fudge
SOLO, Taxpayers Alliance video - Jamie Oliveoil on the Common Agricultural Policy
Sydsvenskan (Swedish Newspaper), En soppa som äter hål i plånboken
Daelnet, Jamie joins anti-CAP crusade
 
4,500 bikers say: Axe the Bike Tax
 
On Tuesday, the No to the Bike Parking Tax campaign, which last week officially joined the TPA, rode out in Westminster (right) to oppose the introduction of daily parking charges for motorbikes and scooters. And what a protest it was! 4,500 protestors occupied Trafalgar Square, then rode down Whitehall, past Parliament and on to Westminster City Hall. It was a magnificent sight and made an unmistakable impression with horns blaring, engines revving and onlookers applauding. An online film of the protest, featuring the ride past, the carnival atmosphere outside Westminster City Hall and speeches in Trafalgar Square from, amongst others, the TPA's Mark Wallace and Peter Roberts of the Drivers' Alliance, has been released online today. To watch the video, click here.
 
The protest was being held because the council's scrutiny committee was meeting to assess the new stealth tax. Amongst other members of the campaign, the TPA gave evidence against the bike tax, but unfortunately it seemed as though the committee had made up their minds in advance, despite the fact that not a single Westminster resident had expressed support for the scheme during the official consultation. Getting 4,500 activists out onto the streets to protest is a sign that this campaign is just beginning, though - we will fight on!
 
Campaign against the Cambridge congestion charge

TPA supporter Brian Macdowall is running a campaign with the Association of British Drivers against proposals for a congestion charge in Cambridge.  If you live in the area and want more information or to get involved then you can contact Brian via email on snapspeed@googlemaail.com or by telephone on 0779 4314 077.  Remember that grassroots action defeated the Manchester congestion charge resoundingly - just because the politicians want to squeeze us for more money doesn't mean they'll get away with it.  Let’s keep up the fight and see it defeated in Cambridge too!
 
Council Tax Protest – Haywards Heath, 16 April

On Thursday 16th April TPA supporter Terry Reilly will be in court protesting his council tax bill and we'll be there to support him. After ten years of soaring council tax, with increase after increase, he's had enough. So if you'd like to show your support for lower taxes and come and give Terry some support, please join us at the Crawley Magistrates Court, Bolnore Road, Haywards Heath RH16 4BA - map here.  We'll be meeting outside the court at 10.30am, with Terry's court hearing at 11.15am. Please do bring placards of support and banners. We'll be providing leaflets to make people aware of soaring taxes. RSVP to our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker, tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com.

Swanage Action day

TPA supporters will be Leafleting in Swanage, Dorset, on Tuesday 14th April.  We’re meeting at 11.15am at The Mowlem, Swanage - map here.  RSVP to our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com.  For details of how to get there by car please contact Mike Hobson on 01929 439 099. 

MPs' expenses published - partially
 
This week saw the annual publication of the category totals for MPs' expenses claimed in 2007-08. If the Parliamentary authorities abide by their promises (and by the more forceful ruling by the High Court!) then this will be the last time MPs' expenses are published in such an opaque format - hopefully within a few months we will be able to see receipt by receipt details of everything our representatives are spending taxpayers' money on. For now, though, we still have to make do with the categorised totals. If you would like to look up what your, or anyone else's, MP claimed, you can do so here.   

Sutton Campaign Day

On Friday 24th April TPA supporters will be in Sutton's high street to campaign against high taxes. After an above inflation tax increase, we'll be out calling for lower council tax and an end to wasetful spending. Please come and join us to recruit more members to the cause. We'll be meeting outside Sutton Railway Station, Brighton Road, Sutton 11am on Friday 24th April. If you plan to attend or would like more information, please email our grassroots coordinator Tim Aker at tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com.

Leafleting in Beverley, Yorkshire
A TPA supporter is looking for help delivering leaflets in Beverley, Yorkshire.  If you would like to get involved in a leaflet drop, please email our grassroots coordinator at tim.aker@taxpayersalliance.com who will put you in touch with our Beverley activists.

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Posted by Britannia Radio at 21:08