Pay EU migrants child benefit at local rates says Nick Clegg

NICK Clegg provoked taxpayer anger yesterday by saying that EU migrants should be able to claim child benefit for their families back in their home country, although at a reduced rate.

Nick Clegg speakingGETTY

Nick Clegg has an idea to pay child benefits to EU migrants at a lower rate

The Liberal Democrat leader suggested foreign nationals could be given the state handout at the rate it’s worth in their own country.

He cited Poland, where the benefit is worth £18 a month per child, but conceded that it is not fair that Britain has to fork out the £80 we pay here in the UK.

Under EU rules, the benefit has to be paid to European nationals who are working in Britain and paying National Insurance – even if their families are based abroad.

Around 24,000 families now claim for 38,500 children, of whom two-thirds are based in Poland.

David Cameron has said the payments are “wrong” and vowed to scrap them altogether under wider EU reforms.

However, Mr Clegg believes Britain should cut the amount paid to match child benefit rates in the countries where the children live.

It’s ludicrous that child benefit is being sent abroad

Jonathan Isaby, TaxPayers’ Alliance

Speaking on his LBC radio phone-in, the Deputy PM said of the current situation: “Obviously that’s absurd.

"I would like to deal with that overnight but you have to wait for the treaties to change.

“In the meantime here’s an idea that might be worth exploring.

"If there’s a Polish couple or a Polish parent here and they are receiving child benefit, I think they should receive child benefit at the £18 per month which is the child benefit rate in Poland, not the £80 rate that we pay them here in the UK.

“After all, the child is in Poland.

"It saves a bit of money but also symbolically it’s important.”

TaxPayers’ Alliance chief Jonathan Isaby criticised Mr Clegg’s remarks, saying: “It’s ludicrous that child benefit is being sent abroad.

"Freedom of movement was never supposed to mean freedom to just redistribute taxpayers’ cash across the continent.

"Working out how to make this system fairer on hard-pressed taxpayers should be a priority for any EU renegotiation.”

Child benefit in the UK is paid at £20.30 a week for the first child and £13.40 for each additional child for families where neither parent earns more than £50,000 a year.

In some countries it is worth even more – around £155 in Germany and £160 in Denmark.

Nick Clegg - Biggest Gaffs

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