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Don't spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar is an old warning against ruinous false economies – which applies to Brexit .

Dropping on doormats are HMRC summaries of the past tax year, 2016-17, detailing how much we earned and paid in Income Tax and National Insurance.

I recalled the ha’porth of tar advice after reading a family member’s statement.

This grafter was deducted £4,227 of £23,113 earned over 12 months, so I turned over the single sheet to see how his tax was spent.

Lying Brextremists conned a narrow referendum victory by pretending the European Union was stealing a huge wedge of your money and, hey presto, £350million a week would be conjured for the NHS .

(Image: Getty)

So how much of his £4,227 annual tax and NI went to the EU budget as part of the UK contribution? £30.

Yep, 30 quid. In a whole year. A tad less than 58p per week.

The Brextremist elite hate experts and the truth because facts destroy the poisonous moonshine these snake oil salesmen and women peddle.

Reports weighing the economic damage caused by quitting the EU – whether they come from the TUC, CBI, the Treasury, respected think-tanks or other forecasters – are dishonestly denied by the Lord Haw-Haws to avoid engaging with reality.

The £252billion Brexit bill over 15 years proclaimed by a Best for Britain Group wrestling to keep our nation in Europe is, of course, a prediction and predictions are unlikely to be spot on.

Yet they attempt to deal in hard numbers, while the quitter nutters in the Unsaintly Church of Brexit Fanatics rely on screaming.

(Image: Getty)

Incidentally, after Europe, the second cheapest of the 15 public spending areas listed by the HMRC is overseas aid, which cost the young man on £23,113 just £46 a year of his tax – 88p a week to help the world’s poorest.

Right-whinge Tory Brextremists and Ukippers also tend to be aid deniers; public intervention haters who yell it could be used at home as cover for plots to dangerously squeeze all spending.

By the way, the bulk of this man’s £4,227 tax and NICs went on education (£520), state pensions (£545), health (£858) and welfare (£1,027).

The figures will be slightly higher for full-timers earning the £28,600 national average and much lower for part-timers and many self-employed.

Saving tiny EU club dues will sink the good ship Britain.