Should Our Lower Paid Workers Be The Whipping Boys And Girls, In Cameron's Vain Attempt At Negotiating With His European Masters?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/634904/eu-european-union-david-cameron-migrants-brexit-germany-angela-merkel-out-campaign

[Gromit]

// The "nonsense" proposals would see ONLY the lowest paid workers have their benefits capped, while higher earning migrants would still be able to milk the system. //

So Poland should pay Brits in its country benefits, but we should stop paying Polish workers here benefits. No one is going to agree to that.

Typical Express 'nonsense'. Higher earning migrants would not be eligible for benefits, so how would they still be milking the system?

[youngmafbog]

Not just the Express Gromit.

This is a disgraceful attempt by spineless Cameron an useless Osborne.

Two world wars - Who won because it looks like the Germans are dictating our laws to me.

[Gromit]

ymb,

'The Express' states that the Germans have offered this, but that is clearly mischief. Such a change would have to be agreed with the other 27 members.

Elsewhere in the same paper, the Express explains a little more accurately

// A French official involved in the negotiations said: “British officials are open to compromises and alternatives, and David Cameron got the impression last week that several heads of state and governments were ready for compromise as well. //


Yes, Cameron and the EU are working to agree a deal to keep the UK in the EU. But will it be enough? I doubt it.

[youngmafbog]

Obergruppenführer Merkel owns the EU, you should have realized that by now.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

/// 'The Express' states that the Germans have offered this, but that is clearly mischief. Such a change would have to be agreed with the other 27 members. ///

It is the headline that is misleading Europe hasn't offered to axe migrant's benefits, whereas it is perfectly true that Germany has offered this, but it is mainly the Eastern European States that are against it.

*** The offer from Germany is reported to have been put on the table instead of the Prime Minister’s demand to stop migrant workers receiving in-work benefits for the first four years of them entering Britain. ***

[New Judge]

“So Poland should pay Brits in its country benefits, but we should stop paying Polish workers here benefits. No one is going to agree to that.”

Certainly not the Poles that’s for sure. Before we dismiss this as "Express nonsense" let's examine why.

A Polish person on minimum hourly wage working 30 hours a week and with two dependent children and a partner who does not work will earn around £9,300 pa. He will pay no Income tax on this but will pay about £149 pa National Insurance. However, he need not worry because in addition he will be entitled to just shy of £8,000 in Tax Credits and £1,789 in Child Benefit. In short his income will be more than doubled courtesy of the UK taxpayer. In most circumstances there is no need for his partner or the children to live in the UK. So long as they live in the EU the Tax Credits and Child Allowance will still be paid and many Poles working in the UK send much of their cash back to Poland (thus making such cash – paid by UK taxpayers – of no benefit to the UK economy whatsoever).

Now let's look at what a UK citizen working for Poland’s equivalent of Tesco’s will get to top up his wages. It's a bit simpler - nothing. There are no in-work benefits in Poland and the unemployment benefits are means tested (a test that includes capital and many capital assets) and amount to a maximum of 28% of the national average wage (which is currently the equivalent of about 350 euros net a month) for a year.

So, is it any wonder that the Polish government (which sees the benefit of huge sums being sucked from the UK economy and transferred to the Polish economy) will not agree to any substantial changes to the EU’s benefit rules?

Mr Cameron has asked for next to nothing in his renegotiations with the EU and that's almost certainly more than he will get. There is no "compromise" that will settle the sort of iniquity I have outlined above. Nonsense it certainly is, but it has not been perpetrated by the Daily Express and it won't be cured by Mr Cameron.