What do we pay the EU, and what do we get for it?
Although the annual payment varies from year to year, in 2015 the UK government paid £13 billion into the EU budget.*
However, the UK also received money back, to the tune of £4.5 billion in the public sector alone, primarily in support for farmers, and for less developed regions (via the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund).*
So the UK's "net contribution" is estimated at about £8.5 billion.*
Some calculations on the net cost/benefit concentrate solely on that figure, which takes into account the public sector funding. But we also need to consider the money that the UK receives in the private sector, which in 2013 was estimated at £1.4 billion*, making our annual total received from the EU (in both public and private sectors) to be in the region of £5.9 billion.
So, if we pay out £13 billion in a year, but receive back £5.9 billion in financial support for both the public sector and the private sector, then the net cost of our membership of the UK for that year costs us £7.1 billion. That is, about £19.5 million per day.
At first glance, that sounds like a lot. But the population of the UK is estimated by the Office of National Statistics to have been 64.6 million in 2014** so the per capita net cost of our membership of the EU amounts to just £0.30 per day. 30 pence a head. The price of one orange, or half a 51g Mars bar.
So what does each person in the UK gain from our membership of the EU, for their nominal 30 pence per day? Alongside the tangible benefits that we receive through specific policies, there are high-level areas of benefit that we wouldn't wish to jeopardise:
1. Prosperity: Remaining in works for Britain. Britain is already stronger and better off trading and working with Europe. We are part of the world's largest single market, allowing British businesses to grow and prosper.
2. Peace: After decades of brutal conflict, European nations came together in cooperation. To this day, neighbours and allies support each other in what remains the world's most successful project in peace.
3. Opportunity: British people have more opportunities to work, travel and learn than ever before. Staying in Europe gives our children and grandchildren greater prospects, and the best chance to succeed.
4. Environment: Protecting the natural environment remains one of the planet's biggest challenges. These problems are tackled better when we all come together.
5. Security: Together we are stronger against terrorists. And together we can break the criminal gangs who threaten our country with the illegal drugs trade, weapons and human trafficking.