<% ballot="225556" ' Check nothing is broken broken = 0 if ballot = "" then broken = 1 end if set vt = Server.Createobject("mps.Vote") openresult = vt.Open("Vote", "sa", "") ' Created object? if IsObject(vt) = TRUE then ' Opened db? if openresult = True AND broken = 0 then ballotresult = vt.SetBallotName(ballot) ' read the vote votetotal=(vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "yes")+vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "no")) if votetotal <> 0 then ' there are votes in the database numberyes = vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "yes") numberno = vt.GetVoteCount(ballot, "no") percentyes = Int((numberyes/votetotal)*100) percentno = 100 - percentyes ' fix graph so funny graph heights dont appear 'if percentyes = 0 then ' percentyes = 1 'end if 'if percentno = 0 then ' percentno = 1 'end if else ' summut went wrong frig it numberyes = 0 numberno = 0 percentyes = 50 percentno = 50 end if end if end if %> Votes so far:

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			Yes: <% =percentyes %>%		No: <% =percentno %>%

The simple decision before the British people is: do they want to be a part of a big market (the European market) or not? If the answer is yes, then, the blunt truth is: taxation, education policy, civil and criminal law, defence policy, copyright law, immigration policy and foreign affairs NEED to be consistent (not necessarily identical) across the market, since these are profound determinants of how the market will shape up to be. Our strength in USA indeed comes from cites and states subordinating their sovereignty to the Federal Govt (the romantic pronouncement from my Texan colleague notwithstanding). If, on the other hand, UK does not want to be a part of the European market, or finds the cost to be onerous, then there is no need to let the morons in Brussels set your taxes. Presumably, they are worse than the elected officials in London. (Although, having lived in UK, I find that hard to believe.) A third approach is to lower the power and intrusion of ALL GOVERNMENT and let the marketplace provide more governance. But that approach is too American, n'est pas?
Aneesh Shrikhande, USA

If you look up "federal" in the dictionary, it doesn't say "bad". I'd have no problem belonging to a prosperous federal Europe, setting federal taxes - provided of course I had a vote that counted.
John Goodman, UK

We most certainly do not want our taxes set by the European Bureaucrats. They are longing to get their hands on our reserves. Why should we pay more for the inefficiencies of the rest of Europe. They enjoy some lower taxes than us, but I doubt that we would benefit from cheaper road fuels and drinks.
We already seem to be worse off than Europe with higher shop prices for everything from food to cars and we appear to be the only country that actually follows the rules. Whereas the French blockade the roads whenever they don't like anything and the rules are then bent in their favour. If Europe set our taxes we would all pay a lot more for everything and get less for our limited disposable incomes.
Brian Hunt, UK

No I don't want taxes set in Europe but this is most certainly the way we are heading and Blair will go on denying the federal European project hoping it will be too late for us to do anything.
Matthew Wright, UK

I want my taxes set by a government whose members I can vote in and out. What is important is not the tax level but who gets to set it. It's interesting to see a number of US comments here. Does the phrase 'No taxation without representation' ring a bell?
Guy Dawson, UK

We should have a common tax system. We introduced VAT in order to harmonise with Europe. This would still make it possible to have different rates.
John Rodgers, UK

I am tempted to say both yes and no, as basically the principle of having taxes set in Europe is sound. Look at Germany, they have much healthier economy and much more extensive welfare state (the two do go together...) and they have the taxation to pay for it. If we want services of the same standard, we have to pay for it and having a universal tax rate would at least give us a measure of equality throughout Europe. However, a wise correspondent has noted the 'no taxation without representation' point. The simple fact is that it is against the principles of democracy not to be able to vote for the people who set these taxes, the only European body that we vote for is the European parliament, and they are basically toothless. Until there is some the tax raising (and cutting) power vested in them, I am forced to say no.
Henry Parker, UK

I have just one question, why doesn't Europe set its taxes to our level?
C. Mclaren, UK

Basically you are asking if I want higher taxes. Erm...no thanks. And you are asking if I would like to be able to influence how much I pay in taxes through the ballot box. The answer to that is yes I would, another reason not to have our taxes set by the EU.
Mike Healey, United Kingdom

Why don't we have a portion of taxes going to Europe, and another going to each country, whose rate can be changed by each country? In the U.S., they have federal income taxes and state income taxes. The state taxes vary in levels from state to state. Each state also has a different amount of VAT. It doesn't really have any adverse affect on the U.S economy that the tax rates are different.
Adrian, U.S.A. (UK ex-pat)

What the hell did we fight 2 world wars for if we're going to give the Germans (and their cronies) the right to set our taxes and bulldoze our objections by majority voting? No! No! A thousand times NO!!!!!!!!! They need us more than we need them - let's free ourselves from the bureaucratic obscenity that is the EU now.
Serdar Tokatligil, UK

There is no reason why the coming of the Euro should require uniform taxation. The USA is clear evidence to the contrary, where states and even cities levy their own sales, corporation and personal income taxes. If it works there, it could work in Europe.
Andy Rooney, UK

Some taxes will need to be set my EU but maybe not all. This constant stupid attack that a foreign EU is dictating to lil ol England (UK of course) is infuriating. The EU elected by Europe (UK included - hello) and policies affect all of EU. When will this debate focus on the facts that after Europe has killed each other during this century, that coming together, socially and economically will help ease the chances of it all happening again. Those little Englanders, fuelled by 18 years of Tory rule need to open their eyes and start looking to the future.
Eliot Bamford, UK citizen resident in USA

Harmonisation of taxes across Europe is just the thin end of the wedge. Other countries, notably Germany, receive hugely better benefit packages such as sickness, pensions etc. That is, at least, partly paid for from taxation. If UK taxes were to be "harmonised" then so would the benefits need to be or, in other words, government spending would need to be "harmonised". I don't think many of us voted for this in the last referendum on Europe. I wonder how many will in the next?
Tony Hague, UK

"No taxation without representation" is such a well-established principle that I find it bizarre that anyone would contemplate allowing the unelected bureaucrats of the EU to set our taxes. If UK politicians set taxes we don't like we can get rid of them, and the tax. The only way the same could apply at a European level would be if we had a United States of Europe. I doubt if even 5% of people in Britain would be prepared to join that.
Douglas Smith, Scotland

Common currency and taxation will automatically produce a federal Europe.
Peter Oliver, UK

Not while there is so much variation in the economics and economic policies of member states. Harmonisation would simply be a huge shock to the system for Britain's economy, from which it may take years to recover. Not now, not yet, please?
Dan Stanton, UK

Having lived on the continent I do not want Europe to set taxes here in Britain. Business in the country I lived in seemed to be attracted by bribe rather than tax benefits. Why should we hand power over to a group of countries that needed us to help free them in the last world war. Many men and women from this country laid down their lives so that we could be a free country and not a province of some Germanic Empire. Have we forgotten so much that we are now willing to hand it all to them on a plate.
Kevin Brown, United Kingdom

Common Market - yes please, Federal Europe - no thanks. If I can have this then a common tax system seems plausible, if I can't then there appears little point. I'm informed by my government that I can't have one without t'other, oh dear silly me.
Steve Leighton, UK

Can any polilitcian be trusted to do right thing? Well, if we can't trust one politician, then how on earth can we trust that disorganised rabble?
Stewart Donaldson, UK

As a native of a once independent Nation turned into a 'state', I can assure you, you will not like being dictated to by people who do not understand you. Some people dislike it so much they start revolutions over it.
William Peak Texas, USA

The US does eventually take the brunt of everything that happens in this world, and high taxation does mean higher prices for exports from the UK for the American consumer, as one example. It seems evident that there is, undoubtedly, going to be a lot of finger wagging on this awful subject (because who likes taxes?). And, of course, it must be resolved, hopefully by compromise from healthy debate.
Joan Lisa, USA

I think the idea of the EU DICTATING anything is ridiculous. If it isn't a consensus it will never work properly. Whilst there are doubtless benefits to be gained from closer ties with Europe, even with full integration in some areas, Europe should not dicate a level of taxation on the UK that would disadvantage tax-payers or corporations. In the US, tax is both nationwide (federal) and local (State). If Europe was to agree on a basic minimum (a small % to contribute directly to pan- European matters) and then allow each individual country to set its own requiremnts for national tax that would make a little more sense, but not much. Aside from the immense complexity and costs of implementing such a procedure, it draws together Europe far closer than it needs be at this stage. I think the majority of tax payers concerned by such issues, ultimately know they get what they pay for, relatively speaking.
David Masters, USA

It's quite bad enough having silly standards for ham without them setting tax as well!
A Paul, R Cooper, UK

We have little enough control over how our taxes are spent!
NV Rees UK citizen resident in USA

No, I do not want my taxes set in Europe. I want them to be set as they are now by Her Majesty's elected government. Europe should keep their hands off the UK. We elected a British Government not a European one!
David Warburton, UK

Yes, finally we may have some sensible, progressive tax policies in this country rather than the vote-scrounging policies of this government and the last. Public services would benefit enormously from European tax harmonisation.
Stewart Morris, UK

Let's see if I understand this. Britain has made a net financial contribution year after year to the EU ever since joining, and now in addition, the British are to pay higher taxes at the demand of Germany and France? A sensible person would ask why the British don't just leave the EU and spend their tax money on themselves.
Jon Livesey, USA

I want my taxes and decisions about my country made by a British government voted in by British people and I really hope that the people of other European countries feel the same about their own situations. We would pay more money in tax - more money for the Euro MPs to waste on ridiculous projects (maybe British eggs are too round or our London taxis too black), more money to mysteriously 'disappear' during auditing or more money to prop up Germany's lack of state pensions. The list goes on.
Neil Marchant, UK

Get us out of Europe now!
Bob Taylor, UK

The purpose of tax is to raise revenue for Government purposes, no more. If other countries believe tax differentials distort the single market then the onus is on them to cut their taxes.
John Dablin, UK

Actually I was under the impression that we had high taxes in the UK, so to hear that we could end up paying more is worrying. Even if taxes on the continent are higher, their standard of living is much lower. This is because their retailers operate on lower margins, so would we see an equalisation of living standards as well?
Ian Wilson, UK

I was under the impression that my taxes were already set in Europe ... or is the UK not part of Europe anymore?
Miles Gilmour, UK

Most certainly not. The EU have not been elected by the British people. They have no right to determine our taxes. The UK Government have their rights given to them by the UK people. They have no right to give their powers to anyone else without the consent of the UK people.
Philip Hare, England

Taxes are already set in Europe. For years there has been a restriction on the minimum VAT the UK government is allowed to charge. It was brought in along with the European VAT system.
Mathew, USA

Tax levels such as the level set in European countries like Sweden are damaging to the economy, especially one as volatile as the UK economy. Our Natural rate of unemployment is already quite substantial and higher taxes will only undo the work done in recent years to reduce it, not to mention the fact that higher taxes will undermine many of the advances of the Supply Side Government approach that has appeared to be doing so well in recent years.
Kevin Counihan, Great Britain

If it ensures that the tax burden is shifted towards the higher earners, and helps to curb tax exiles then I am all for it.
R Kearney, UK

I think taxes should be set in Europe. This would lead to greater freedom for companies to invest in other areas of Europe since the tax system would be the same. It should also lead to lower rates of taxation as people would no longer be able to avoid paying as much tax legally and it would also make it more difficult for them to avoid paying tax illegally.
Graham Kenyon, Britain

The UK should not let Europe dictate to them when Europe has treated Britain like an outsider for so long.
Ian Walsh-Reilly, USA

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