Is the UK Union now at risk.

US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning that he will strongly oppose any U.S.-U.K. Trade deal that undermines the Good Friday Agreement.

In the letter, Leader Schumer also tells the Trump administration to stop over-promising an unconditional and unrealistic post-Brexit trade agreement with the United Kingdom.

Leader Schumer additionally makes clear in the letter that he will work with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and members on both sides of the aisle in both chambers of Congress to block any deal that threatens the Good Friday Agreement.

Leader Schumer’s letter comes in the wake of reports of a leaked top-secret British government document that warns of expected violence and protests if a no-deal Brexit leads to the creation of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

www.bestforbritain.org/senate_democratic_leader_schumer_dismisses_chances_of_post-brexit_trade_deal_that_undermines_good_friday_agreement_gfa

The multinational giants need to have their wings clipped and France has levied 3% on sales there, more will follow, that will hit Ireland and Luxembourg in particular.
Not just tech companies, the likes of Starbucks and Amazon pay very little tax in many countries, including the U.K.

Southern European countries really do need to get their own houses in order, leaving the E.U. will make their economies much worse. They are understandably fed up with bearing the brunt of the migrant issue and are voting with their hearts for change - any change.

Snap, Maizie!

But the tax harmonisation proposals cover corporate taxation, not personal taxation. Greece has to solve its own problem of no-one (i.e its citizens) paying their taxes...

POGS, It would be more integration because individual countries can't deal with tax-hopping giants on their own.

I don't know how much you know about Greeks and taxation, but it would be no bad thing if the Greek government got to grips with all the people who avoid paying tax. It was one of the conditions when the EU bailed them out for the umpteenth time.

As far as I know, Davidhs, there is (and never has been) any suggestion that countries should harmonise personal income tax.

Specific targets of EU tax harmonisation would be the US digital tax giants, who currently pay very little corporate tax.

In the case of Greece, ordinary Greeks would probably benefit if their own country were more efficient at collecting the taxes legally owed (but that's another story).

The tax harmonisation issue actually shows that individual countries do have a voice in the EU.

David

'That sounds like more integration not less and I really don’t think that’s on the cards, each national government has its own priorities on spending, do we really want to tax Greeks the same as the Swedes.'
--

It would be more integration leading to a more Federal State. It is possibly ' on the cards' and the outcome of that would mean Member States losing their right to veto/Unanimity and if passed some taxes will mean Greece has a taxation the same as Sweden.

Staying with taxation, is it desirable to have all states with the same tax regime?. That sounds like more integration not less and I really don’t think that’s on the cards, each national government has its own priorities on spending, do we really want to tax Greeks the same as the Swedes.

There is one tax change that needs to be made, multinational companies should pay tax in each country not in the lowest tax rate country

Is the UK at risk of disintegrating if a no deal brexit is not stopped?

In my opinion, this is not just a risk but a virtual certainty.

How disgraceful that this fiasco could be brought about by the Conservative and UNIONIST Party.

Maizie d

It still comes down to member states losing their right of veto / Unanimity and having to abide by Majority Vote possibly.

As we have now both said this affects the smaller countries and a country like Ireland which has low Corporation Tax would be hammered if it had to raise Corporation Tax in line with the other 27 member states dictat.

Changing to QMV is to the advantage for the larger financial countries such as Germany and France who are disadvantaged, as we are, by Countries such as Ireland who have been very successful having Unanimity on taxation.

It still begs the question how could countries in the UK such as Scotland who want Independence be totally Independent if QMV is passed by the EU Parliament and financial regulation no longer allows any Member State the right of veto or Unanimity?

It has been quite remarkable how strongly the other 27 member nations of the European Union have held together over the last three years since the fraudulent referendum.

The Leave liars often said that if we voted to leave other nations would follow. This is exactly the opposite of the truth, as is everything the Leave liars said.

The E.U. isn’t going to implode, it will evolve into a different beast, when it comes to trade there is far too much to loose by splitting up into factions. Judging by the latest elections most will become more nationalistic but still want trade advantages.

It will almost certainly become less federal which is just what we wanted and we should be in there reforming the E.U. not leaving.

I'm looking into it POGS

But it should be emphasised that the tax harmonisation proposals apply to corporate taxes, not domestic taxes (e.g income tax, NI & VAT)

It seems that some of the smaller member states are objecting because they have low corporate tax regimes, designed to attract corporate investment, but the flip side of that seems to be the situation where global companies assign their profits to the low tax country they are based in, in order to pay the lowest rate of tax on them, even though their profits may be generated in other EU countries. The claim is that this lowers the tax take in those countries and shifts the tax burden onto the workers. Low corporate tax rates can also be seen as perhaps breaking State Aid rules...

I can see why this is a contentious issue in member states.

The EU's other proposal seems to be for the simplification of VAT collection between member states to avoid fraud. No implications for control of domestic VAT rates. This one appears to be non threatening..

ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/action-plan-vat/single-vat-area_en

Poll finds majority of Northern Irish voters back a backstop to stay close to the EU

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/lucidtalk-poll-for-northern-ireland-on-irish-backstop-1-6222971

MaizieD Sun 18-Aug-19 21:55:46

OK, POGS, Juncker, who is just about to end his term of office, wants QMV and alignment of taxation. Who else? Or is one man 'the EU'.
---
You have picked on one name without reading the story.

It is the EU Commission of which Junker was the President of at the time. So the reply to your question is there are many who want to stop member states vetos and stop Member States having Unanimity over their respective countries taxation by changing to QMV / Qualified Majority Voting - a system of weighted votes.

www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/eu-wants-end-to-member-state-veto-on-tax/

'The European Commission on Tuesday (15 January) proposed to end the veto power member states have over EU tax matters, an idea rejected by several smaller countries including low-tax hub Ireland.

A more harmonised tax policy across Europe has long been a dream of pro-EU forces in Brussels and recent scandals have regenerated Brussels’ desire for an easier way to pass legislation across the bloc.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it will launch a debate with member states on allowing new EU tax laws to be approved by qualified majority rather than unanimously.'
--

It is only a proposal / debate but it has been mooted for years and certainly gaining traction although countries such as Ireland are against it. If however QMV is enacted Ireland will only be able to ' have it' s say ' but it will have to abide by what the Majority Vote produces. How will UK countries who break away from the Union guarantee their Independence to set their taxation if they are a member of the European Union which increasingly heading for a Federal State.

It is a question not a statement it will happen but it comes back to the question of how Independent countries can be inside the EU.

Day 6 was not speaking based on knowledge. As is often the case she was just chirping out something she thinks someone else said somewhere without any factual basis or reference to anyone whose view might be believable. If this isn't the case we would be shown the facts.

Likewise RosieLeah's throw away remark with, again, nothing to explain why the path the Tory's have us on is not one which may pretty much be like living in an unreconstructed Germany after the war except, in our case we will have damaged ourselves and driven away those countries who might give us help.

If one single Leavers can tell me HOW and WHY this will not be the case giving us the expert details not a wish list.

I've given up trying to understand the mentality of Brexiters. You can't reason with them. They've become zealots.

If the EU and Euro collapse, the UK will sink anyway, whether or not we're in the EU.

I've studied European economic history at a serious level. Any conflict or disruption on mainland Europe or Ireland has always affected the UK, even before anybody even dreamed of the EU.

When the UK lent Ireland a few billions in 2010 (?), the reason was that a bankrupt Ireland would have adversely affected the UK. We didn't have to lend the money and we weren't being altruistic. It was a hard-headed financial decision for our own benefit.

You could not be more correct MaizieD. Should the European Union implode the repercussions would be worldwide and that would deeply affect our economy even if we had withdrawn as a member.

I too do not understand why so many of the Brexitiers so much look forward to the collapse of the EU.

Rediculas thinking.

From your link, growstuff

If the eurozone was to collapse, the negative economic impact would be felt in the UK regardless of whether it is in or out of the EU.

This is what has always puzzled me. Why did Leavers think that leaving the EU would make us immune from the effects of collapse of the euro? Or, indeed, from their gleefully predicted 'implosion' of the EU? If the EU were to 'implode' it would have huge global repercussions which we couldn't avoid.

Yeah, I know.

I've been following a Brexit extremist on Twitter. She keeps coming up with outlandish lies, but her followers get themselves into a frenzy about them. Each time they retweet, the lie gets even bigger and they come out with more lies. It's quite fascinating to watch. It seems as though it's a focus for pent up hate.

It's like watching a drunken brawl. Maybe they are drunk or drugged (for all I know), but I'm honestly beginning to think they have a psychological problem.

Exactly, Maizie.

Has the situation changed since 2016?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36456277

Cameron's meeting with the EU wasn't at all futile, although the Brexit-supporting media didn't want to admit that.

It's an integral part of the Leavers' Litany, growstuff

Idiot Cameron also, in his 'futile meetings' got an opt out from bailing out failing euro countries. Did that not count?

I'm interested in how exactly the UK is liable to bail out the allegedly unstable Euro too.

Day6 Quote [We opted out of the Euro as a currency, thank goodness. We are still liable (if we remain within the EU) to bail out the unstable Euro to the tune of billions of UK taxpayer's money if it fails. Are you aware of that? ] End Quote.

Well, I am no currency expert that's for sure. However, to me and many others who reside in Britain at this time, the Euro currency has certainly looked a lot more stable than the British pound over the last twelve months.