Worth every penny?

Over-regulation costs Britain at least £26 billion per annum
The Common Agricultural Policy costs Britain at least £15.6 billion a year
Since 1973 the UK has made contributions to the EC budget of almost £213.6 billion gross or £66.3 billion net, by 2013 this figure will have increased to £299.8 billion gross, or £102.2 billion net
Britain's accumulated trade deficit with the other EU member states since we joined has risen to £359.5 billion
This year membership of the European Union will cost Britain £60.1 billion gross, or £50.6 billion net
That is the equivalent for every man, women and child in Britain of over £1,000 per year gross or £843 net That is: Gerard Batten, UKIP MEP and author of the paper, challenges the Government;"If the Government believes that membership of the EU is beneficial to Britain and that we should remain a member, then let it commission an independent and impartial cost/benefit analysis so that the supposed benefits can be proved and the findings openly debated."If Gordon Brown thinks that the UK should be signed-up to the revived EU Constitution, then he should be open with the British people and present us with the full costs of EU membership. It costs Britain more and more every year and we would be better off out."Robert Oulds, Director of the Bruges Group, said;"The cost per minute is an enormous sum, over the course of a year the figure is shocking. To put it into perspective just £1 billion will pay for 222,000 hip replacements, or 46,893 nurses, or 38,782 teachers, or 34,585 police officers."This money would be better spent in Britain for the benefit of the British people. Imagine what we could do in Britain with the money that we are using to support the EU and its integrationist policies. Let the British people decide if the price of EU membership is worth paying."Robert OuldsDirectorThe Bruges Group232 Linen Hall, 162-168 Regent Street, London W1B 5TBUKTel: +44(0) 20 7287 4414Mobile: 07740 029787E-mail: info@brugesgroup.com
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