[lucasRW]

It is true that the West can use the East's cheaper resources: but the benefits made there go into the pockets of those who own those businesses.

However, the funding of the East is spread across the complete taxpayer via EU contributions, which is in effect, a tax.

[FirmwareBurner]

No, it goes into the pockets of all consumers. Westerners enjoy the cheapest energy and supermarket prices on food pricelessly because the unified common market work in their flavor (of those with capital) while the consumers in the eastern block have to put up with competing with western consumer prices at eastern wages, because they can buy energy, raw materials, resources and labor from the eastern block.

They also can afford elderly care and nursing because they can pay Eastern European workers less to suplement their ageing demographics and the shortages in their social care system, along with other lower prestige jobs that the locals don't want to do but are still necessary for a functional society (cleaners, delivery drivers, plumbers, builders, landscapers, etc).

You're making it sound like the money going to eastern block EU is hand outs. It's not. You're just misinformed or delusional. The money going to the eastern block for their development means more eastern consumers buying more western goods and services, which means more tax money and jobs in western countries. It means more labor competitive manufacturing so stuff can be made competitively in the union instead of manufacturing being offshored to China.

If you don't see these benefits, why don't you vote to leave the EU, maybe you'll see them then? Because it seems like you only want to have your cake and eat it too.

[lucasRW]

Gosh, I wonder why the EU countries aren't fighting each other to pay the biggest contribution to the EU budget then, because apparently an HN contributor has found the key to economic wealth: paying more to the EU !

"The money going to the eastern block for their development means more eastern consumers buying more western goods and services, which means more tax money and jobs in western countries."

> Like when Poland buys American fighterjets rather than French or German one, or when Croatia has China build the Dubrovnic bridge - https://www.politico.eu/interactive/connecting-croatia-on-a-... ?

[FirmwareBurner]

I never said what you're claiming. You're just deluding yourself at this point with FUD, and so I'll let you be to save my sanity, with this question you still haven't answered for the third time in a row:

Why aren't you (or any other western EU country) leaving the EU if you feel like it's so bad for you and those lazy poor Eastern Europeans are dragging you down? Because it seems like you're the only one with this opinion so you must know some secret of prosperity the others haven't found out, including the UK.