Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-08-Speech-2-022"
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"en.20030408.1.2-022"2
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"Mr President, in the rarefied atmosphere of this House it is very easy to lose touch with reality. In this context the reality is other people's money. It is taken from them on the grounds that Parliament feels it has the right to decide how it is spent.
People do not volunteer to pay tax and in the final analysis the money demanded is taken under the threat of force. If they do not pay, citizens can lose their possessions, their livelihoods, be made bankrupt and even go to jail. All of this imposes a special responsibility on us, a special trust, and we must ask ourselves whether we could look our constituents in the eye and say yes: all of this money has been spent and properly accounted for. Speaking for myself, I have to ask myself whether I personally could justify putting someone in prison because they have not paid their taxes that this Community has used. I cannot say in all honesty that I could and, frankly, that is the test.
On this basis I do not see how anyone could consent to the discharge of these accounts. The test has not been passed. We have not discharged our responsibility of trust to the citizens of our Member States in ensuring that the money has been properly spent. We have no right to grant discharge."@en1
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