Chirac in call for global tax

[Dreamer128]

21.09.2004 - 09:35 CET | By Richard Carter
French President Jacques Chirac has called for an international tax to help fight poverty.

Speaking at the United Nations in New York, Mr Chirac praised a report prepared by a French working group, which suggested an international tax be levied on arms sales and some financial transactions in a bid to eradicate poverty.

The report contains "technically realistic and economically rational solutions", said Mr Chirac, according to Reuters, who has joined forces with Brasilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to push the anti-poverty agenda.

They will attempt to push forward to aim of halving the number of people in poverty by 2015, as UN leaders pledged in 2000.

More than a billion people around the world live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than one US dollar per day.

And a declaration signed by 110 countries urged governments to consider the report.

US criticism
But Mr Chirac's ideas were strongly attacked by the US delegation.

US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said, "global taxes are inherently undemocratic. Implementation is impossible".

Mr Chirac has also caused controversy in the EU by proposing a harmonised way of calculating corporate tax, which is strongly opposed by the UK.

(EuObserver)

[ 09-22-2004, 07:08 AM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]

[Oblivion437]

I'm against this tax...

Where will the money go? Who will collect them?

The very concept reeks of empire-building and government expansion for the sake of crippling larger powers...

[Timber Loftis]

They will attempt to push forward to aim of halving the number of people in poverty by 2015

[img]graemlins/bonghit.gif[/img] Yeah, right. [img]graemlins/bonghit.gif[/img]

international tax be levied on arms sales and some financial transactions

Doesn't this sound to you like a tax against the US?? Howabout a tax on champagne, perfume and beret sales instead? I'll vote for that one.

[Khazadman Risen]

Methinks the tall Frenchman has been smoking the hell out of something.

[Aerich]

It's a nice, wonderful, feel-good idea... that is probably impossible to implement. Easy to talk about, bloody difficult to do. Gotta wonder how much he's thought through the mechanics of it and how much he's saying it to try and score political points.

As I recall, France was once (and I think still is) a fairly major supplier of weapons. It'd be interesting to find out the current status of French arms sales.

[Stratos]

I wonder why he said this?

[Dreamer128]

Oh.. I doubt Chirac ever expected the US (or anyone else for that matter) to go along with his plans. This way, the US comes out looking bad and he scores with the leftish voters in France.

[johnny]

I pay enough taxes as it is already, come up with additional taxes, and i'll become one of those poverty striken citizens Chirac is talking about.

[Dreamer128]

Ah Johnny.. but that way you would finally get something back from that EU-poverty fund you've been paying taxes for. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Moiraine]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: quote: international tax be levied on arms sales and some financial transactions

Doesn't this sound to you like a tax against the US?? Howabout a tax on champagne, perfume and beret sales instead? I'll vote for that one. [/QUOTE]LOL Timber, that would suit me just fine : I don't like champagne, I use very little perfume, and French people have quit wearing berets ages ago! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

My, are you paranoid in the US, a tax tailored against the US, indeed. One would think the US are the only people in the world using weapons and making financial deals. What an interesting concept. Do you have shares in a weapon factory, Timber ? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

EDIT : I just read an article on the subject. Seems that one of the tax propositions was on greenhouse gas emissions. I am quite surprised you don't agree with this one, Timber. I thought you opposed big companies being able to make environmental messes on our mother earth. Unless what you really meant was 'they shouldn't alter the environment in the US, but what they do outside of our borders, fine with me', uh ?
Seems the US opposed the global tax idea - saying that "a global tax is inherently undemocratic". Undemocratic because ... ? All of us poor peons have been paying 'global taxes' (at country level); maybe we should stop paying them, since they are 'undemocratic' ...

[ 09-27-2004, 04:49 AM: Message edited by: Moiraine ]