Daniel Hannan, man of the people, apparently doesn’t notice the tax he pays on his salary. Speaking on the Sunday Politics, the MEP told viewers that he has “a very well-remunerated job with huge tax-free salaries”. That Hannan considers his salary to be “tax-free” would come as a surprise to both the EU and HMRC.
All MEPs pay an EU-level tax on their salaries, and it’s up to individual countries to decide whether or not they also want to tax their representatives.
Unsurprisingly, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is keen to ensure that it gets its cut. UK MEPs pay UK income tax and National Insurance Contributions like any other UK taxpayer, bringing the total tax paid on their salary up to the level they would pay as a UK resident.
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Given all this, the only reasonable conclusion is that Hannan has so much cash coming in that he simply doesn’t notice the taxman taking his cut. The alternatives – that Hannan has been underpaying tax, or was telling a fib – are, of course, unthinkable.
Hannan’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Edited by Geert Linnebank
This article is worth reading. Seems like he is referring to the state of things pre 2009, but it would be good to know if not paying his share of income tax…
http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2016/06/01/what-daniel-hannan-s-why-vote-leave-leaves-out
Nasty nasty article. The whole remain campaign is more like Russian or Chinese propaganda. I am brexit and, although life long right wing as cannot again vote Tory till Cameron and Osborne have gone.
Daniel Hannan made the same point about not paying any tax on his salary at the outset of his keynote address to the audience at the UK in a Changing Europe conference “Working with the EU: Britons and Brussels” on 31 May 2016. He was challenged on this incorrect statement at the outset by a member of the audience and, after some exchanges of views with members of the audience, finally admitted that he paid a special rate of tax. So I should be shocked that he continues glibly to peddle the same lie to an even wider audience. But I am not shocked. I am deeply disappointed by both Daniel Hannan and the other MPs, MEPs, and others who continue to peddle lies to persaude people to vote ‘leave ‘on 23 June. It is so contemptible.
First Project a Fear, now a slur campaign?
I highly doubt you’ll post this comment but he was referring to the TAX FREE sums of money he receives from the inflated way the EU pays its MEP’s expenses. An example he gave was travelling expenses. Rather than just reimbursing for the price of the air fair, an MEP is paid a fixed per Km sum, TAX FREE regardless of the cost they incur. He claimed if he flew a budget airline for his London to Brussels trips he could ‘pocket’ £800 a week TAX FREE! At current UK tax rates this is in itself equivalent to a gross salary of over £60,000 on top of his MEP salary.
At this rate, it’s not difficult to work out where our £11b net contribution goes.