Hat tip: Powerline
I always thought that the term “Eurocrat” referred to a bureaucrat in the European Union. Apparently, it is now the answer to the question, “What do you get when you cross a European with a Democrat?”
According to The Telegraph, EU Parliamentarians can earn millions in profits and have been remiss in paying their taxes. EXCERPT:
Mr. [Matthew] Elliott [Chief Executive of Taxpayers Alliance] said each MEP could save more than £1 million from their expenses and pension benefits over a five-year term at the European Parliament.
Over five years, each MEP can claim this includes a subsistence allowance of 117,000 Euros, staff allowance of 489,840 Euros, office expenses of 243,120 Euros, travel expenses of 60,000 Euros and an accrued pension of £350,000.
This does not include the MEP salary of £63,291, which is set to increase to £73,584 after the European Parliament elections in June 2009.
There was also widespread failure to comply with tax, company and social security laws. Nearly 80 per cent of transactions that should have been subject to VAT displayed no evidence of either VAT payment or exemption.
In his report, Mr. [Robert] Galvin [EU internal audit official] found that overpayments of parliamentary allowances were common.
Now remember, “It couldn’t happen here!”
