Thread by @uk_domain_names

There's a paradox at the heart of Brexit.

Leaving the EU saves the UK government our membership fee.

It costs individuals and companies much much more than that saved fee. But they're bearing the cost in a distributed way. (Less trade, higher prices, less choice of work etc.)

So the UK government's balance sheet improves by the value of the EU membership fee that's no longer being paid.

But every single one of us and the organisations we work for are effectively being stealth-taxed by Brexit much more than the saving recorded by the UK government.

The UK government can semi-truthfully say "there's more money for us to spend after Brexit" (though the amounts it quotes are wholly fanciful, and don't account for its own extra costs because of Brexit).

And yet as a nation we're still MUCH poorer as a result.

In practice it's worse than that because as Brexit tears chunks out of the UK economy, there's less revenue and income to be taxed, therefore less tax levied, so the UK government has less to spend.

That further erodes the government's own "saving" from not paying EU membership.

There are also all the costs of the UK government replicating certain aspects of EU membership.

Even accounting for all the above, Brexit might (perhaps) leave the UK government with a few quid compared to staying in the EU.

But it costs the UK £billions and £billions overall.

EXAMPLE

Part of our EU membership fee went to participating in Horizon Europe.

The UK government "saves" that money by pretending that British boffins working alone can achieve more than the best minds of a continent can together in the world's largest scientific collaboration.

Which appeals more?

Brexit: The UK government has a tiny bit more money to spend. You're poorer.

EU membership: You and the organisation you work for have more money coming in, and enjoy many more benefits than the UK government can ever hope to provide you by going it alone.