European Union - in or out?

I have just been reading this article by the BBC, and was horrified by some of the facts and figures contained within it.

I have never been a fan of the European Union. I remember, when I was in school, feeling disappointed that I would never get to go to France and pay with francs. Since then there has been more and more which has disappointed me about the EU.

The EU is expensive to the UK, costing an estimated £8.5 billion in 2015. The cost fluctuates yearly, with 2009 costing £4.3 billion and estimates for 2016-2020 ranging from £7.9 billion to £11.1 billion. And that is the cost to the UK after receiving a rebate and money from the Agricultural Guarantee Fund. When other publicly funded services are experiencing a reduction in the money they receive, how is it fair that UK's contribution to the EU doubled between 2009 and 2015?

The UK cannot set its own VAT bracket for products means that the EU is dictating to Britain how internal issues should be managed. Britain is unable to change the category in to which items fall. In the recently publicised 'Tampon Tax' it was highlighted that the "VAT rate charged on the items is the lowest allowed under EU law" and "The UK does not have the ability to extend unilaterally zero rating to new products," despite the fact that a whole host of other items, including exotic meat, flapjacks and aircraft maintenance are all VAT-free. Why should the EU have a say on VAT categories and prevent the UK government from charging VAT as needed by the UK population.

The running of the UK should be left to the UK, not to someone sitting in Brussels. It is for this reason, regardless of David Cameron's negotiations, that I shall be placing my vote to leave the EU when we have the referendum.