EU immigration to the UK has not harmed British peoples’ access to jobs, public services or incomes, a major study by the London School of Economics has concluded. The report has dispelled a number of ‘myths’ or misconceptions about the impact of immigration on the UK.
Key findings have included that wage variations for British workers have little correlation to immigration rates and are instead primarily linked to overriding economic factors such as the global economic crisis. The report’s authors also state that rather than being a burden on resources, immigrants pay more in taxes than they use in public services and play a vital role in reducing the budget deficit.
Report author Jonathan Wadsworth said: “The bottom line, which may surprise many people, is that EU immigration has not harmed the pay, jobs or public services enjoyed by Britons. EU immigrants pay more in taxes than they use in public services and therefore they help to reduce the budget deficit. So, far from being a necessary evil that we pay to get access to the greater trade and foreign investment generated by the EU single market, immigration is at worse neutral and at best, another economic benefit.”
The myths debunked by the research are:
1) EU immigrants come to the UK to claim benefits
They are less likely to claim benefits than British born citizens are
2) EU immigrants are a drain on the economy
They are more likely to create jobs by using local shops and other services, which increases demand for goods and services, in turn creating more employment opportunities
3) EU immigrants are responsible for high unemployment rates
Areas with high immigration do not have higher rates of unemployed British people than other areas with less immigration
4) Wage drops are due to EU immigration
The biggest cause of recent reduction in real wage value has been the global economic crisis and shows no relationship with immigration
5) EU immigrants are a drain on public services like hospitals and schools
They contribute more in tax than they use in public services
6) Staying in the EU means there is a risk the refugee crisis will spread to the UK
Refugees living in other EU countries, such as Germany, have no right to enter the UK
7) EU immigrants are uneducated and unskilled
On average they have higher education attainment levels than British born citizens do
8) EU immigration brings crime to the UK
There is no evidence that crime levels increase in line with the number of immigrants living in an area
9) Leaving the EU would stop immigration
Any countries accessing the Single Market must allow free movement of EU citizens whether in the EU or not
4 comments:
Perhaps we ought to invite even More of 'em in. They are smarter than us, more honest, work harder, are less likely to claim from the National Handbag, more likely to start a business, put more in to the tax pot than take out and are unlikely to become socialists.Why don't the English working class do themselves a favour and commit mass suicide.
This is just a rant from anonymous which betrays ignorance that what motivates many to become socialists is the realisation that despite some individuals doing relatively well,generally if we are born poor we will die poor,that poverty and war are inevitable concomitants of capitalism necessitating a social revolution to remove their blight forever in a post-capitalist,production for use,free access democratic global arrangement run by ourselves without government 'over' us.
Gosh, you are so right. Why didn't I see this before, where do I sign up?
You would have to satisfy us that your thought processes had moved beyond advocating mass suicide for fellow workers from England and much more besides..
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