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Shane Ross on 5-7 live today

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  • 09-06-2008 8:03pm
    #1
    ixtlan
    Registered Users Posts: 1,212 ✭✭✭


    I just had to comment...

    He has repeated what he said in an article a few days ago, and it is just very illogical.

    He does appear to accept that the tax veto is intact. Therefore his argument is that the large countries France, Germany and "maybe the UK" will threaten us in other areas until we accept a common corp tax rate.

    At the same time he professes to be "pro-Europe", however it's hard to square this with his vision of strong-arm tactics.

    He seems to think that something should be put into the treaty to assure us of our tax status, but this does not really make sense either. When asked... "so we have a veto now and need unamimity so what could be better in the treaty..." and his reply was ... as I waited for a spark of genius... "well I don't think we will withstand the pressure" and then the interview ended. OK so... what exactly can we do?

    If things are as bad as he says surely he should be advocating withdrawal from the EU, because he accepts that Lisbon makes no difference, we will get threatened and give in either way.

    We could put a clause in the treaty blocking us from joining a common tax rate, but this won't help because the big countries can still threaten us into increasing our rate to match theirs. They don't actually need a common rate for that.

    The only logical solution I can see from his view of the world, would be to insert our actual tax rate into either an EU treaty, or preferably the Irish constitution, which is getting into the realm of the ridiculous.

    I thought shane Ross was a sensible guy, but now... Yes, the French and some others may have an agenda for tax harmonisation but things like this might take decades to resolve and might never happen until we get to a point where Ireland wants such a rate. I wonder would he put a bet on this happening within months of Lisbon passing, which is what he seems to be saying.

    I have to repeat how can anyone say they are pro-European if this is how they see the relations between countries?

    Ix.


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    #2
    Clarehobo
    Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭Clarehobo


    ixtlan wrote: »
    I have to repeat how can anyone say they are pro-European if this is how they see the relations between countries?

    Ix.

    I think that it is down to the thinly veiled threats we have been hearing since the start of this campaign - that we will be punished by Europe if we vote no.
    I was never previously of the opinion that European countries would be that vindictive, but according to our government they will hold us to task for exercising our constituional and democratic right to vote on this issue so maybe he has been listening to the biffo's paranoia too much;)


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