Lucien wrote:
To be clear: Dual citizenship is bad for any country if it results in lots of money leaving the host country. Now, given that, why would the UK government allow it (if they're able to stop it) when it comes to the EU situation? They might vote for a guaranteed red mark on the balance sheet, but I doubt it.
A guaranteed red mark? How much do you think the EU would charge and how much do you think even the most pro-EU person would be willing to pay?
Let's say it cost roughly the same as a new UK passport, but per year. Call it £100 to be more in favour to your argument. Sod it, let's be absolutely ridiculous and use silly figures and times that by 5 and make it £500 per year. And let's say 1 million UK citizens go for it. Absolutely stupid numbers there, but they favour your side of the argument and i'm willing to go with them.
£500million is roughly 0.64% of the UK annual national budget (approx £780billion). Not exactly a big dent, and remember we are talking about peoples earnings
after they have already paid their income tax and national insurance to the government. Of course that's less money in people's pockets to spend in the UK, but do you really think that 0.64% of the UK annual budget (and remember we are actually talking about a sum a hell of a lot lower than that) is worth worrying about or would send the UK into a "guaranteed red mark on the balance sheet"? And do you really think that the sort of person that wants to retain and is willing to pay for EU citizenship is also the sort of person that spends absolutely all of their money in the UK every year?
So even with my absolutely ridiculously sky high figures, it would barely even be noticed. Unlike for instance the money certain Tory MPs send to the Cayman Islands each year..... Or the taxes that certain national and international companies "avoid" each year.....
Edit:
Lucien wrote:Lagamorph wrote:But regardless of if they have dual citizenship, they're still living in the UK. How is their money leaving the UK economy? They're having to pay bills and buy goods/services in the UK just like anybody else without dual citizenship.
If the EU charged you £100 per year then that money leaves the country. Now imagine half the country doing that. I can't see the government letting that happen (unless the overall Brexit deal makes up for it).
Ahh you have numbers now!
33million (roughly half the UK - and there is no way half would pay it) x £100 = £3.3billion. That's pretty high, although we are again using silly figures. That's still not going to send us into the red. And it would never be half of the UK signing up for it. And still wouldn't be any of your business how people choose to spend their own money.