By janet173 on February 10, 2010
I have been very impressed by the ideas for a tiny tax on bank to bank transactions put forward by Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy which they are calling the ‘Robin Hood’ tax. This would generate billions of pounds a year half of which would be spent in Britain on issues such as child poverty, and half abroad. They have already gained the support of a long list of charities and faith organisations. I urge you check out the information on their website. They can explain it so much better than me.
http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/home.php
2 Comments
I didn’t know this was called “Robin Hood”. I know it as the Tobin tax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobin_tax) which a French group ATTAC has pushed for. Recently backed by Brown and Sarkoszy, fiercely opposed by US govt, Wall St and the City — which makes me think that if the financial elites hate it so much, it might actually work, deterring speculators as well as generating revenue for climate mitigation abroad and social justice at home. So far I do not see much public awareness or pressure; maybe they will come. See this article by a respected financial journalist:
http://www.globeadvisor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/story/gam/20091030/ROBMAGNOVEMBERPG20
I think it’s a good idea but I can’t see it getting passed into law.