Cheap booze from Europe

[jake-the-peg]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2451 928,00.html

Do people think this would be a good or a bad thing if the EU force the Government to let us order cheap beer and cigarettes over the internet?

[dyli795]

Somebody somwhere is doing somethig right. If I can get two beers for the price of one, what shal I do ? Simple as.

[steviep165]

bring it on i say.

the govt takes upwards of 25% of my earnings off me purely in tax and NI contributions. why should i be nailed with massive duties on the pleasures that i enjoy. and before people harp on about not treating me on the NHS im private anyway, i gave up on that outdated pathetic institution years ago.

how long until this ruling will spread to everything that has duties on it? cheap perfume-- here you go. cheap designer jeans--get stuck in. bet all you anti smokers and drinkers wont be too shy to jump on that little money saver will you??

[NH]

"Frits Bolkestein, a commissioner for taxation, declared that cross-border shopping was a fundamental right."

Eh???

Even as one of those supposed pansy liberal types despised by the likes of Ward~Minter, I think that's human rights gone too far.

Anyway...my immediate reaction (after contemplation, the only one I can go on) is this:

as an asthmatic, I despise the idea of any more people being able to smoke. Public smoking ban...one of the great legislations of our time. God bless New York.

As a teetotalist I couldn't give a **** either way about the alcohol. So long as the city centre near me isn't coated with a foot thick layer of vomit and discarded kebabs from illegally sold internet-ordered stuff, anyway...

[LazyGun]

Not quite sure I understand your point there NH... the EU commissioner guy was just making the straightforward point that the EU is supposed to be a single market, with all its implications... so from that perspective, cross border shopping is a fundamental right :)

[NH]

The EU is supposed to move towards a single market, but it's far from that now...seeing as not all member states have joined the Euro, which is the most obvious indicator.

Even if it was a single market, surely cross-border shopping is a privilege resulting from the single market, and not a right....?

From my view rights are such things as the right to a decent standard of living, a right to be respected, etc. It just seems that some politicians seriously screw up the meanings of "rights", "responsibilities" and "privileges" nowadays.

[LazyGun]

Why are you saying the Euro is the most obvious indicator NH? The concept and rules surrounding the single market were in place before the Euro was launched.

The main selling point of the EU (back when it was the EEC) was the free movement of goods around the member states with little or no restriction due to national borders. Predictions of consumer benefits on price were made, based upon economies of scale (much expanded market for goods) and competition

The adoption of a single currency would certainly aid that but its not a necessity. Other issues, such as rates of sales tax or VAT, language barriers and things like left hand / right hand drive make much more fundamental barriers.

So, by the ideas and concepts surrounding the EEC/EU, it seems to me that cross border shopping is a right :)

[Bazile]

Are those people that are opposed to membership of the EU , going to abstain from ordering cheap cigarettes and booze , on a point of principle ?

[NH]

Bazile- course not. Why let principles stand in the way of getting ******?

LazyGun- I'm saying that essentially, being able to buy something within a single market is a privilege, because it's something that you benefit from without needing to; a right, on the other hand, is a benefit that you should have regardless. You don't NEED vodka from Eastern Europe, but with this ruling, you could have it, if you wanted it...therefore a privilege, not a right.

[chakkos]

Wonderful, it's about time that the miserable selfish brigade who enjoy the financial contribution that they receive from drinkers and smokers while they are turning their noses up at them, find themselves rethinking their position when when other taxes rise. Just remember, your taxes will not be contributing to smokers and drinkers, but more that they will lessen their contribution to you ungratefull lot. Let's see VAT @ 25%, then we'll see who objects to smokers lighting up! Hooray!!!