English get so little for their tax money Westminster politicians, from David Cameron down, and much of the media, erroneously attribute expenditure by the Government to be a burden on the UK taxpayers. The reality is that all direct expenditure by Westminster, particularly since 1999 devolution, comes from and is a burden on England’s taxpayers alone. The “UK” collects taxes from the constituent countries England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Annual revenue is then re-distributed to each country via the grossly outdated population-based Barnett formula. Distributions to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are termed “devolution settlements” and are far in excess of their individual tax in input to Westminster. Virtually all of its “devolution settlement” is spent by each devolved government on its own country’s public services. So, effectively, the devolved countries have no money left in the “UK kitty” to contribute to Westminster expenditure which all has to be funded from England’s “Barnett “share. Westminster expenditure has to cover: all retained “UK” non-devolved matters such as defence, taxation, foreign affairs, the EU, and England’s public services (as well as those devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The current UK budget is £732billion (2014-15) and the “Barnett” split to England is £592billion, Scotland £73 billion, Wales £42 billion and Northern Ireland £25 billion – approximately. England, after funding non-devolved matters (approximately £100 billion) is left with £9,300 per head to spend on its public services while the devolved countries have a average of £13,700 per head for their devolved functions. England’s inhabitants, through taxes and borrowing, contribute over 90 per cent to UK revenue yet we get the lowest public service funding of all under Barnett formula, Politicians and others who persist in claiming Westminster expenditure is a burden on British or UK taxpayers are telling porkies. The Barnett formula is a travesty for England and its long suffering taxpayers for although we have 531 MPs we have no political champions – what are we electing and paying them for? R A Hopkins Leckhampton, Gloucestershire
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 08:41:21 +0000
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