But I thought Cameron vetoed it

In this case I am talking about the Financial Transaction Tax, unpopularly known as the Robin Hood Tax (though taking money from wealth creators to enrich a bureaucracy is not quite what the men of Sherwood Forest were about). Once again, we have news from European Voice and the Daily Telegraph that the tax is on the agenda and that Merkel and Sarkozy (particularly the latter) are determined to push it through despite opposition from Britain and Sweden as well as possible others. The one thing neither article bothers to explain is how precisely it will be brought in. At present I am assuming that it will come in under Single Market rules and that means Qualified Majority Voting. But they might think of some other way. In the past it was established that a new tax needs primary legislation by Parliament. We shall see how many of those eurosceptics will dare to put their heads against the parapet. Of course, numerous questions in the House of Lords in the past established that if a tax is imposed by the EU and Parliament votes against it, the UK will be taken to the ECJ. That will give the Boy-King something to veto, surely.

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.