5 ms·

Because they employ tens of thousands unelected bureaucrats at wildly inflated (six figure in EU) salaries? 20,000+ just in the EU Commision. They have their o

Because they employ tens of thousands unelected bureaucrats at wildly inflated (six figure in EU) salaries? 20,000+ just in the EU Commision. They have their own Cartier/LV/etc... in Brusels HQ?

sunbum 3y ago
Did you even read the article?
blibble 3y ago
EU employees also don't have to pay income tax and have separate private schools for their children it's like something out of brave new world
- foldr 3y ago
  They pay a special tax instead: https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/715/do-e-u-employees-pay-tax-on-their-salaries#:~:text=From%20the%20European%20Commission%20Permanent,back%20into%20the%20EU's%20budget https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/715/do-e-u-empl....
  - blibble 3y ago
    government employees being exempt from regular taxation would never be accepted in a normal country so I don't see why it should for something that isn't even a country can you imagine federal employees in california being immune from california state taxes? me neither
    - foldr 3y ago
      It's not really a comparable situation as the US Federal Government isn't an international organisation. I think the aim is just to avoid having countries that happen to host lots of EU institutions receiving lots of national tax revenue as a result. It's also not an exemption that's entirely unique to EU employees. For example, NATO employees based in Belgium pay no income tax, and neither do employees of the United Nations. Similar response here: https://politics.stackexchange.com/a/4968 https://politics.stackexchange.com/a/4968
      - blibble 3y ago
        it is government and they're government employees and they're exempt from tax the little people have to pay
        foldr 3y ago
        The EU is a sort of suis-generis cross between a government and an international organization and is very much unlike the US Federal Government. It’s quite standard for employees of certain international organizations not to pay national taxes in the host country, as my other examples show. The reason behind this is simply to avoid certain conflicts of interest and squabbles between member countries over who gets the tax revenue, not some kind of conspiracy against the ‘little people’.
      - syndicatedjelly 3y ago
        Is there any other profession where as a general rule, they don’t pay state/local taxes?
        foldr 3y ago
        I don’t think the question makes sense, because we are talking about national taxes here. The EU is not analogous to the US Federal Government. But anyway, my comment already gave other examples (e.g. NATO employees).
        syndicatedjelly 3y ago
        I'm trying to question the core assertion you made, that the US federal relationship is not comparable to the EU's relationship to it's member "states" (which is what they are in fact called). Yes one is a federation and one is a confederacy, but what about that relationship makes it relevant to taxation? Apparently employees of NATO don't have to pay taxes in any member state except the US. (https://www.taxesforexpats.com/articles/expat-tax-rules/nato-personnel-us-tax.html https://www.taxesforexpats.com/articles/expat-tax-rules/nato...) So even in the case where the US is a member of these special organizations, the employees are not tax exempt. The only rationale you provided was: > I think the aim is just to avoid having countries that happen to host lots of EU institutions receiving lots of national tax revenue as a result. Why is it unreasonable for a country that hosts lots of EU institution to receive any tax income from that activity? Hosting an international organization's business must cost the host country money, it's not a free lunch.
orwin 3y ago
60K for 440M so 1 bureaucrat for 7333 person in the EU. Also, I don't think most pull six figures.
MattPalmer1086 3y ago
I'm not sure what the "unelected" bit means here. You want to elect 60,000 bureaucrats? Is it supposed to mean that they have no mandate to do what they do?
- piuantiderp 3y ago
  The thing is you are many layers away from these people, using your taxes for god knows what. At least local politicians will have to ingratiate themselves a little bit. Starting from the top, zero accountability. Have you ever met someone who worked at UN, EU? The chasm between those and private industry is huge. People get a ton of benefits for little work. I personally know a few people who gave up their cushy EU job as it ate at their soul to make pretend work. Whoever stays is too dumb or just grifting.

Because they employ tens of thousands unelected bureaucrats at wildly inflated (six figure in EU) salaries? 20,000+ just in the EU Commision. They have their own Cartier/LV/etc... in Brusels HQ?

sunbum 3y ago

Did you even read the article?

blibble 3y ago

EU employees also don't have to pay income tax and have separate private schools for their children it's like something out of brave new world

foldr 3y ago
They pay a special tax instead: https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/715/do-e-u-employees-pay-tax-on-their-salaries#:~:text=From%20the%20European%20Commission%20Permanent,back%20into%20the%20EU's%20budget https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/715/do-e-u-empl....
- blibble 3y ago
  government employees being exempt from regular taxation would never be accepted in a normal country so I don't see why it should for something that isn't even a country can you imagine federal employees in california being immune from california state taxes? me neither
  - foldr 3y ago
    It's not really a comparable situation as the US Federal Government isn't an international organisation. I think the aim is just to avoid having countries that happen to host lots of EU institutions receiving lots of national tax revenue as a result. It's also not an exemption that's entirely unique to EU employees. For example, NATO employees based in Belgium pay no income tax, and neither do employees of the United Nations. Similar response here: https://politics.stackexchange.com/a/4968 https://politics.stackexchange.com/a/4968
    - blibble 3y ago
      it is government and they're government employees and they're exempt from tax the little people have to pay
      - foldr 3y ago
        The EU is a sort of suis-generis cross between a government and an international organization and is very much unlike the US Federal Government. It’s quite standard for employees of certain international organizations not to pay national taxes in the host country, as my other examples show. The reason behind this is simply to avoid certain conflicts of interest and squabbles between member countries over who gets the tax revenue, not some kind of conspiracy against the ‘little people’.
    - syndicatedjelly 3y ago
      Is there any other profession where as a general rule, they don’t pay state/local taxes?
      - foldr 3y ago
        I don’t think the question makes sense, because we are talking about national taxes here. The EU is not analogous to the US Federal Government. But anyway, my comment already gave other examples (e.g. NATO employees).
        syndicatedjelly 3y ago
        I'm trying to question the core assertion you made, that the US federal relationship is not comparable to the EU's relationship to it's member "states" (which is what they are in fact called). Yes one is a federation and one is a confederacy, but what about that relationship makes it relevant to taxation? Apparently employees of NATO don't have to pay taxes in any member state except the US. (https://www.taxesforexpats.com/articles/expat-tax-rules/nato-personnel-us-tax.html https://www.taxesforexpats.com/articles/expat-tax-rules/nato...) So even in the case where the US is a member of these special organizations, the employees are not tax exempt. The only rationale you provided was: > I think the aim is just to avoid having countries that happen to host lots of EU institutions receiving lots of national tax revenue as a result. Why is it unreasonable for a country that hosts lots of EU institution to receive any tax income from that activity? Hosting an international organization's business must cost the host country money, it's not a free lunch.

orwin 3y ago

60K for 440M so 1 bureaucrat for 7333 person in the EU. Also, I don't think most pull six figures.

MattPalmer1086 3y ago

I'm not sure what the "unelected" bit means here. You want to elect 60,000 bureaucrats? Is it supposed to mean that they have no mandate to do what they do?

piuantiderp 3y ago
The thing is you are many layers away from these people, using your taxes for god knows what. At least local politicians will have to ingratiate themselves a little bit. Starting from the top, zero accountability. Have you ever met someone who worked at UN, EU? The chasm between those and private industry is huge. People get a ton of benefits for little work. I personally know a few people who gave up their cushy EU job as it ate at their soul to make pretend work. Whoever stays is too dumb or just grifting.