World Tax proposed by France's PM Chirac (Big Barf alert)

Swiss Info Agency ^ | September 3rd, 2002 | Reuters

[GaryMontana]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac will urge world leaders to launch talks on a new international tax to fight world poverty, sources with him at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg say.

The sources said Chirac rejected the existing "Tobin Tax" proposal to raise levies purely on foreign exchange transactions but would call in a speech to the summit for discussion on a wider tax on wealth generated by globalisation.

"It could be a tax on airplane tickets, on carbon dioxide, on health products sold in industrialised countries, and indeed on international financial transactions," one source said.

"The idea of wanting to hold back a small share (of global wealth) to relieve poverty is not a mad idea at all. But the debate has been polluted by the campaign on the Tobin Tax," the same source added.

The Tobin Tax, championed by non-governmental groups as a way both to raise funds and to deter financial speculation, attracted much interest particularly in Europe last year but since appears to have fallen out of favour.

European officials have noted possible problems with the tax, proposed by U.S. Nobel Prize winner James Tobin in the 1970s. One is that financial markets would simply move to those countries that chose not to apply the tax.

World leaders began arriving at the World Summit on Sustainable Development on Monday hoping to settle differences over an action plan to end what South African President Thabo Mbeki called "global apartheid" between rich and poor.

The sources close to Chirac, who was due to speak in Johannesburg around midday local time (11 a.m. British time) on Monday, pointed to studies suggesting global development aid would have to be doubled to around $100 billion (64 billion pounds) to really fight poverty.

[GaryMontana]

I am still waiting for Bono to give up all of his wealth, travel by public transportation to his concerts (after all he would not want to travel in a fancy car which causes damage to the enviornment), and promise to live in a modest apartment in the slums of the USA.

Until then, he is another liberal blow hard who says "Do as I say, not as I live and do!"

If it is not a good idea for Bono, it is not a good idea for anyone else.

[willgetsome]

What is unemployment in socialist Europe? 10%-30%?

Go figure that the EU wants a world tax...Americans, a people who eye unemployment rates with great caution, will end up footing most of the bill.

[GaryMontana]

I love your proposal.

Surely the wonderful members of the UN would want to live in the poverty that they propose the whole world live in.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

World tax!Begin with the BERLIN AIRLIFT and start adding up how much money the U.S.has given away to date.This doesn't include the training we have given the people of the world on how to grow and harvest crops.IF THEY HAVEN'T LEARNED TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES BY NOW,THEY NEVER WILL!"Go away world,you bother me".

[End Times Sentinel]

Time after time, after time we came to France's aid.
Two World Wars, several huge financial aid packages, rebuilding roads, infrustructure etc.

Let's not forget how they left us holding the bag after we tried to bail them out of Viet Nam!  What kind of freaking country looses a war with GreenPeace anyway???

 

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

[witnesstothefall]

I think this is a wonderful idea...for the rest of the world. The U.S. should be exempt since it is already carrying half the globe on its tab, so it's a great idea that the rest of the international community should pony up. The day the U.S. agrees to participate in this communist gambit is the last day I pay taxes.

[dhfnc]

If you think welfare has been a taxpayer's nightmare and a total failure in this country., wait until these euro-socialists try to put the entire world on the dole.

You have this right - We don't know what taxes are compared to what they could do to us.

I think we are taxed way too much anyway - why should my hard earned money go to support other countries who hate us and won't stand beside us on this war?

Every time I hear the word taxes, I get sick!

[Mr. Thorne]

What? Leave out ONE letter and people pop a cork.

= P

[white trash redneck]

What he's suggesting is steady cash flow for third world kleptocrats.

[TheBigB]

Isn't he wonderful folks? Let's give him a big hand...don't forget to tip your waitress! Try the fish; he's here all week! =)P

[A CA Guy]

Time to invade France! LOL

[doberville]

Easy for YOU to say. What's it mean?

[glory]

The thing about the Bonos and other leftwing fruits on our own shores is that a 40 and even 50+% tax hit is nothing to them. To someone in say an average income range here or a little above of say 40-75k, the effect of such a tax would be devastating to them and would at the very least force some to take more jobs or women from thier homes into the workforce, taxing it even more for available jobs. I don't know about you all, but we only save a meager portion as it is now. We only just moved to our neighborhood, but already there is a tax increase for the schools(we homeschool) in the works that would raise the cost about 400.00 a year on our home(that's enough to easily buy my homeschool supplies for the year--goodbye to that I suppose) and we are considering moving further out into the truly rural areas which would not only save us that 400.00, but save us 900.00 more and we'd probably cut out our local taxes as well. Anyway, my point is I know too many more % increase in taxes and it will hurt us to the point of making some very major life adjustments.

[ghost of nixon]

there is only one thing worse than democrats getting their hands on my taxes... foreigners & "international do-gooders" getting their hands on my taxes.

[Lazamataz]

At this point, the only thing France could possibly do that would surprise me, is win a war.

[TomServo]

At this point, the only thing France could possibly do that would surprise me, is win a war.

Or bathe.

[Jeff Head]

It was the term uttered by King Leonidas of the Spartans when the Persians were invading Greece. When his hundred literally faced hundreds of thousands of Persians at a narrow pass, the Persian King, Xerxes, offered Leonidas a chance to lay down his arms and be spared. Leonidas reply was, "Molon Labe".

It translates to "Come and get them".

Xerxes did and suffered many many casualites ... but ultimately killed all of Leonidas forces. He was held up sufficiently to allow other Greek forces to gather and ultimatley halt the Persian take over.

Interestingly, the pass was so narrow, and Leonidas fighters so fierce, that the Persians began to doubt their ability. Ultimatley they paid another Greek local handsomely to show them a secret path around the pass and were able to attack and take the Spartans from the rear. As is often the case, an traitor from within lead to the enemy victory ... or at least greatly hastened it.

To this day, "Molon Labe" is a term people use to face tyrants who would take their arms from them ... the colonist had "Come and Get it" inscribed on one of their flags when fighting the British.

Hope that helps.

[Jagdgewehr]

What's it mean?

[rb22982]

lol

[Feiny]

What France fails to acknowledge is that no amount of money in the world will help bring these countries out of poverty as long as they have tyrants and dictators running the show.

Only when they get rid of the dictators and establish a stable representative government should any country send them aid. Until then, forget it.