British Unitarians have given their support to the “Robin Hood Tax” campaign to establish a tax levy on international bank transactions to create a fund to combat international poverty and fight climate change. It will also raise funds to stop cuts in vital public services.
The Robin Hood Tax is based on an original idea by the economist James Tobin. A tax of 0.05% on the billions of pounds sloshing around the global finance system every day through transactions such as foreign exchange, derivative trading and share deals can raise hundreds of billions of pounds a year.
The British General Assembly is one of dozens of voluntary sector, trade union and faith organisations who are supporting the campaign.
Ideally the campaign would like to see an international system of transaction taxes, but there is no need to wait. Individual countries – and the European Union – can easily get started now. Rather than wait for international agreement, it is hoped to build the Robin Hood Tax country by country.
The Robin Hood Tax campaign is in touch with similar campaigns in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and in particular the USA, and with groups operating at EU and global level. All are at different stages of development, and it would be especially good to see more campaigning in the global south.
It would be valuable to know if other members of ICUU are currently involved in this campaign or are interested in working with us on it. This could help stimulate and better co-ordinate campaigning and show solidarity within our global Movement
If you wish further information on the Robin Hood Tax http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/
Please do feel free to get in touch.
Derek McAuley
Chief Officer
General Assembly Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
Dmcauley@unitarian.org.uk
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So who manages the fund and who hands out the funds?
Seems to me would the worlds poor would be far better off if the west dropped it's ag subsidies instead. See Timothy Garten-Ash http://www.timothygartonash.com/oldforum/poor.html
One essential key to development for the poorest countries in the world is to give their producers access to the markets of the rich, especially in Europe and America. How can we persuade our leaders to open our markets and cut our own outsize agricultural subsidies? Any ideas?
Your idea may well cause the opposite, crushing the producers in poor lands, and only the fund administrators getting rich.
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