Emigrant Taxes to Help Fund Services

The taxes that are placed on emigrants are now set to be used to hire extra teaching assistants, police officers, and community workers in the UK. Right now, almost £1.7 million has been allocated to councils in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset this year. Ministers hope that this will help to ease the pressure on these services in selected areas where small changes can really have a big impact.

John Denham, the Communities Secretary, said that this levy on emigrants could really help to counter the tension. He went on to say that what they need to make sure of is that the short-term pressures of emigrations don't become the rubbing point for extremists and exploits. Some people feel that when the population changes and it leaves them competing for jobs or other services, people tend to forget the upside to emigration and only focus on the fears.

All emigrants from outside the UK will be charged between £50 and £200, depending on how long they stay in the UK. For this year, the Plymouth City Council has already been allocated £468,000 to encourage emigrants to sign up to a GP instead of overloading A&E departments with minor ailments.

On top of this, similar sums of money have already been provisionally allocated for next year. However, the details of the project have not yet been released. On a national scale, an extra £3 million will be spent over two years on proposals to tackle illegal working practices. This includes enforcing minimum wage and increasing awareness of Health and Safety regulations.