It worked before, didn't it

Lord Stoddart of Swindon (yes, it is he again) asked in a Written Question:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of proposals by the European Union to impose European Union wide taxes; and whether such proposals would require unanimity to be adopted.

Huff and puff, said HMG in the shape of Lord Sassoon:

The Government have made it clear that the UK is opposed to any new European Union (EU) tax to finance the EU budget.

Under Article 311 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a change to the way in which the EU is funded would have to be unanimously agreed by all member states and ratified by national parliaments. Upholding the member state veto on tax remains a key priority for the Government.

Nothing to fear there, then. After all these rules and treaty Articles are always adhered to by the Member States, are they not?

Incidentally, my own view is that a direct EU tax might be a good idea in that it will make people realize what is going on and how much of its sovereignty this country has lost a long time ago. The worse it is, the better it is for us.