The news that the European Commission is proposing the introduction of a new EU-wide tax, which will go directly to the EU, did not surprise me. Or anyone who has been following closely EU initiatives in the past decade.

The introduction of an EU tax has been on the backburner for quite a number of years. Its introduction has always been aborted by strong resistance from those member states that see such a tax as another step in the formulation of a federal super-state. I believe that this time, the European Commission will predict the eventual break-up of the European Union – or at least the break-up of the euro – unless its proposal is taken on board by all member states! Still, I cannot see the Commission getting what it has wanted for so many years.

Who knows, if what the Commission is saying privately – up to now – will become a reality, we may still see the re-emergence of truly independent and sovereign countries in Europe!

Eddy Privitera