EU Launches First Legal Case Against the UK.
According to one of our political correspondents, Joe Barnes, Brussels today sparked a row after threatening to drag Britain in front of the European Court of Justice as the bloc launched infringement proceedings against this country just 12 days after Brexit.
What for? Well, even though it has been in effect for 6 years without so much as a peep from the dictatorship, The EU has opened its first post-Brexit disciplinary notice against the UK, which is legally binding under the Brexit transition period. Europrats accused the Government of discriminating against European truckers by charging a special tax against them as they enter Britain. European hauliers have to pay the HGV levy up to £1,000 a year, before entering the country, but the Commission argues this is unfair because UK-registered firms receive the cash back through discounts on their annual road tax.
Brussels has warned Boris Johnson he has two months to explain how he will fix the problem or face being hauled in front of EU judges in Luxembourg.
The ECJ can impose hefty fines if a country refuses or fails to comply with its judgement.
The move will only further heighten fears about the UK’s status as a “vassal state” while in the transition period.
Under the UK’s EU Withdrawal Agreement, the bloc’s officials can continue to slap the UK with infringement notices until up to 2025.
The Brussels-based executives said in a statement: “The Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. As set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, EU law continues to apply in full to the UK for the duration of the transition period. In particular, the UK remains subject to the EU's enforcement mechanisms such as infringement procedures”
The Prime Minister was called upon to use Brexit to slap bigger taxes on European lorries in the wake of the Commission’s complaint.,
Senior Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: “This has been legislation in the UK for years. Why has the EU not brought it up before?” “They should have raised concerns when we passed the legislation years and years ago. In no way does £1,000 a year compensate for the commercial advantage enjoyed by foreign operators. “Foreign hauliers do not pay road tax or buy fuel in the country, so are making absolutely no contribution to the UK but taking our business.”
Mr Johnson was also warned to break free of the transition period to avoid further crackdowns by Brussels.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: This is just them flexing their muscle and deliberately waiting until after Brexit day to try and prove we are still under their control. This is basically a load of posturing by the EU to rub our noses in the fact we are still subject to EU law.” “The only way to end this is to get the hell out of the transition period at the end of the year. I would also say to the EU ‘go sling’ because we are not going to be obeying your rules and it may take beyond the end of the year to implement what they want anyway”
Oh dear, the Europrats must be sitting there delving through every word of the Withdrawal Agreement trying to find things to throw mud at us. How pathetic! What must the world think of them. Do your worse idiots! It’s akin to dealing with school kids in the playground.
For years, before this tax came out in 2014 our hauliers had to compete with EU hauliers who don’t have to pay road tax in their own countries, able to first fill up with cheap fuel across the channel before driving over here, drive on our roads without paying a penny towards the upkeep of them., and to add insult, at the same time taking business away from our own haulage drivers. The transport industry had to wait years seething with rage at the unfairness towards themselves until the Government decided to take action and do what every other European country does, and start charging the buggers!(20p into the swear-box).
So keep it coming Europrats, we will in turn, keep batting you away like the little gnats you are.
What say you?