Conservatives want to stamp out tobacco subsidies costing taxpayers millions
Posted, October 24, 2007 @ 18:00
Conservative MEPs want to cut tobacco production subsidies in the EU to zero, saving taxpayers millions of pounds.
More than £200 million (293 million euros) is set aside to pay tobacco premiums in the draft 2008 EU Budget, which is being voted on in the European Parliament in Strasbourg tomorrow (Thursday).
On top of that, almost £10 million (14,250,000 euros) has been earmarked for the Community Tobacco Fund.
Amendments tabled by Conservative MEPs call for the subsidies to be cut, saving European taxpayers millions over the next financial year.
Budgets spokesman Richard Ashworth MEP said: "Subsidising tobacco production in the European Union is inconsistent with the aims and objections of the Public Health programme of the EU and consequently represents very poor value for money for EU citizens."
Health spokesman John Bowis MEP said: "We now have a very successful smoking ban in the UK and British taxpayers should not in the meantime be paying to subsidise tobacco production in the EU."