Dear Editor,
The ‘IN’ campaign have spent the last year claiming the EU represents
excellent value for UK taxpayers. Last week the EU Court of Auditors released
its annual report – here are a few examples of what it revealed about EU
spending:
– A youth club that may not actually exist was given €16,500.
– A €250,000 euro grant was used to pay staff for hours they didn’t work,
and give them bonuses that they weren’t entitled to.
– In just one member state €152 million in animal welfare payments were
found to be ineligible.
– A €4,000 mountain bike, a €10,000 donation to a local church and a
€3,500 panoramic spyglass were claimed for as part of an €80,000 spending spree
on unnecessary items.
– Part of a grant for SMEs in the UK was never passed on to
SMEs
I can’t speak for the ‘IN’ campaign, but this is not what I would call
‘value for money.’
Regards,
Jonathan Arnott MEP
UKIP, North East
