Go on then....
Convince me how the EU creates wealth in the same way that its individual members do.
It doesn't - it simply redistributes the membership fees....Some countries win, others lose out.
I remember a few months ago making you a personal offer that I thought you wouldn't be able to resist as it was based exactly on the EU's very own 'collect and spend' money carousel which you appear to think is so wonderful.
Strangely, you declined.
No. No no no no no no no.
The EU, the Single Market, and the Customs Union, lower the fees we all pay when purchasing goods.
With 28 sets of regulations, a TV manufacturer has a large cost to do business in Europe; they've got to comply with each set of rules and may have to find different materials to use depending on the country. Or maybe a car manufacturer would have to create 28 (or 32) different versions of their car to comply with 28 (or 32) different standards.
That adds cost. By setting the same requirement across the board, those costs are removed (or at least, reduced greatly)
When shipping goods, running into customs adds a fair amount of cost, both to the shipping companies and to the governments running them. I'm not even talking about import and export duties here, I'm talking about the physical costs of goods being checked (even electronically) and the hours wasted talking to manufacturers, and hauliers, and customs agents, and HMRC. etc. It probably isn't an understatement to say that customs costs at least £500 per load of goods. Now if the average sales cost of those goods is £50,000 that obviously isn't breaking the bank (adding only 1% to the total cost), but a cost it is.
Now let's have a look at what happens when you increase cost to no gain.
Increasing costs puts pressure on businesses. These businesses pass these costs onto the consumers, who are then poorer. The consumers will then purchase less of the product, which will again put pressure onto businesses. Some companies who operate on slim margins simply won't be able to continue, which will result in job-losses and further economic downturn.
So let's reverse that.
Reduced costs relieves pressure on businesses. A greater margin for profits allows new businesses to be created and new investment to come in. Jobs and opportunities will be created which in turn will make people richer, and continue the upward trend.
To take things to extremes; no one would import goods from abroad if it cost £1m per item to do so. No one could afford to buy an iPhone if a Lion battery cost £100k. People will have less money to spend if the government pointless charges them lots of tax.
So yes, the EU creates wealth. The single market creates wealth. The Customs Union creates wealth.
