MIGRANTS COST BRITAIN £17BN A YEAR
And getting out of the EU would slash bill by £1.2 billion
MASS immigration is costing British taxpayers £17billion a year, a bombshell report warned last night.
But it said the UK could save £1.2billion by quitting the EU. A detailed study of the
costs of migration to Britain set against its benefits showed an overwhelmingly negative impact on the Treasury.
The burden of public services, benefits and pensions for migrants and their families far outstrips the income from what they pay in taxes.
Migrants contributed £89.7billion in taxes but received £106.7billion in public spending during 2014-15, the report shows.
The cost to taxpayers included a staggering £20billion paid in working-age benefits.
The crippling £17billion annual shortfall – equivalent to nearly £63 for every UK household – was estimated in a report published by population think tank Migration Watch UK.
Lord Green of Deddington, chairman of the think tank, said: “This report shows EU migration is not making the positive fiscal contribution that has so often been claimed.
“Furthermore, it is adding to the rapidly increasing pressures on housing and public services. It also contributes a population increase of half a million every year – roughly a city the size of Liverpool.”
The estimate of £89.7billion contributed by migrants included £42.3billion in income tax and national insurance, £28.5billion in VAT and other indirect taxes and £18.9billion in business rates and other related levies.
The figure of £106.7billion public spending on migrants in the same year included £8.8billion in state pension, £18.6billion for NHS treatment and £18billion on education. Migrant families benefited from £39.9billion spent on policing, roads and other public services and infrastructure. They also received £21.4billion in working-age welfare payments, including jobless benefits, housing benefit and tax credits.
Non-European migrants were the greatest burden on the taxpayer, according to the report.
Migrants from within the European Economic Area – which includes the EU, Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland – contributed £31.2billion in taxes. They benefited from £32.4billion in public spending, a net cost of £1.2billion which could be avoided by leaving the EU.
Those from outside Europe contributed £58.5billion in taxes while benefiting from £74.2billion in public spending, a net cost of £15.7billion.
The higher cost for non-Europeans was thought to be because most had been in the UK longer.
Ukip MEP and migration spokesman Steven Woolfe said: “This report highlights what Ukip has been saying for four years. It shows the real cost of immigration to be astronomical. It is unaffordable when we see a rising national debt and public services under pressure. It also highlights the long term effects of migration on pensions.
“Ultimately, the British taxpayer will be forced to pick up the bill for the reckless migration policy.
“This report also highlights a fundamental problem with the UK’s migration policy whilst in the EU. We do not have the ability to limit the number of migrants who don’t make a net contribution. The only way to control migration and save money is by voting to leave the EU. It is the only option if we want to control our borders.”
Tory MP Tom Pursglove agreed the report showed the need to quit the EU in next month’s referendum, adding: “On June 23 the British people have an opportunity to take back control of our borders and have controlled immigration.
“A vote to remain in the EU is a vote for uncertainty and a vote for uncontrolled immigration.”
IMMIGRATION as a whole is now costing the British taxpayer £17billion a year according to a new report that details how new arrivals claim far more in public services, benefits and pensions than they contribute in taxes.
Supporters of open borders are fond of claiming that mass migration has been a boon for our economy. This is simply not true.
And we must also consider the impact that opening our borders has had on our national identity, the quality of public service provision and the number of foreign criminals able to commit crimes in this country.
Immigration has consistently been shown to be the number one priority among British voters. And the more evidence that is gathered about the scale and cost of mass immigration the clearer it becomes that it has been a disaster.
Yet still the political class refuses to acknowledge the great damage that has been done.
David Cameron has in the past tried his best to convince us that he understands our concerns. He even promised to bring net migration down to the “tens of thousands”. The reality, as he knew all along, is that this can never be achieved while we remain a member of the EU.