A Romanian politician has hit out at the EU after he claimed the bloc is attempting to “tax people out of poverty.”
The comments were made this week by Fr. Cristian Terhes, who is both a Catholic priest and an MEP as part of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group.
EU Commission and @vonderleyen must stop the insane policies that caused already higher prices and taxes, as well as more poverty in EU. They closed energy supplies but increased the energy demand which led to a rise of energy cost. EU must be led by pragmatists not idealogues! pic.twitter.com/6z9x7vKc2B
— Cristian Terhes MEP (@CristianTerhes) July 7, 2022
Speaking the European Parliament, Terhes slammed the EU, claiming they wanted to tax energy to ease the cost of living crisis.
He said that the crisis was the fault of the bloc, caused by “insane and unsound” policies.
“Ursula [von der Leyen] is trying to change the behaviour of Europeans through higher prices and higher taxes as she said, causing unseen inflation in the EU, and more poverty than ever seen before.”
He said that the solution to the cost of living crisis was to reduce taxes, so businesses “have more money to invest in creating jobs,” and consumers will have more money to spend.
He accused Von Der Leyen of trying to receive cheaper energy “by closing down sources of energy” in pursuit of green climate goals, adding that “Europe must be led by pragmatists, not ideologues.”
Speaking to Breitbart Europe, Terhes claimed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “is in desperate need of lessons in economics for dummies.”
“Just as you cannot pull yourself out of a hole by your own hair, so also the government cannot tax you out of poverty,” he said.
“It’s counterproductive and poverty-inducing to restrict the types of energy you can use because this just drives up scarcity and price.”
The European economy, particularly regarding energy, has been hurt badly by Russia’s war in Ukraine following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The price of gas in Europe reached a new all-time high this week, reportedly reaching climbing to €325 per megawatt-hour.
Prices quadruple in a year exacerbated by Norwegian oilfield strikes and maintenance problems at French nuclear plants https://t.co/MA0FXqxycV via @IrishTimesBiz
— Irish Times Business (@IrishTimesBiz) July 5, 2022
This is partly due to Norweigan oil field strikes and maintenance problems at French nuclear power plants. Another factor is Europe’s high reliance on Russian gas, with Russian state-owned energy firm Gazprom threatening to shut off gas to Germany amid the ongoing Ukraine war.
This would have a profound impact on European markets, with many EU member states facing potential energy and fuel rationing this winter.