Chirac to push for international tax to fight poverty

[Flagg]

CHIRAC TO PUSH FOR INTERNATIONAL TAX TO FIGHT POVERTY

Received Sunday, 19 September 2004 03:25:00 GMT
PARIS, Sept 19 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac will put forward ideas for an international tax scheme that would help build a 50-billion-dollar war chest to fight poverty during a 55-nation conference on economic development opening Monday in New York.
Chirac will launch his initiative fortified by the conclusions of a French working group, but the idea is fiercely opposed by the United States.
The 150-page study drafted by the working group of experts is aimed at advancing efforts to reduce the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by half between now and 2015, consistent with goals the United Nations adopted in 2000.
Their document suggests that a tax could be imposed on greenhouse gas emissions as well as certain financial transactions, arms sales or multinational corporations.
Other proposed approaches raise the possibility of taxes levied on ships transiting key maritime straits, airline tickets, credit card purchases as well as an international lottery.
"There is a lack of stable and dependable resources for the war on poverty" at a time when 1.2 billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, noted Jean-Pierre Landau, who headed the working group.
The report says ensuring that all sub-Saharan African children go to school will cost three billion dollars over 10 years.

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http://www.ttc.org/200409190325.i8j3p9h24928.htm


Chirac is a conservative.

[whistle]

1. That should fit right in with the GOP plan to cut taxes

[2Design]

3. GOP doesn't believe in helping anyone - they hate people

[The Zanti Regent]

2. Chirac does not live in the Nazi Republican "Lasseiz Fairyland"

He lives in the real world.

I still remember when Jackass Kemp went before a conference of African leaders and kept uttering the cut taxes on the rich bullshit. Several leaders interrupted him and said they were so poor taxes were nonexistent. Still did not shut that asshole up.

[aneerkoinos]

4. I heard

The rumour at the local ATTAC was that there was goint to be a joint Lula-Chirac proposal at the UN meeting discussing the findings of Finnish President Tarja Halonen and her colleague.

Naturally US will debunk any attempt to do some good on global level through UN and other means (and the world expects nothing less from the selfish greedy bastard), but having arch-conservative like Chirac working together with Lula should be something worth noticing. Guess the ATTAC has done something effective in France, where it originated...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. Conservative, yes. Arch-? No way. (nt)

[Rochambeau]

5. kick

:kick:

[Just Me]

6. Only those who would crucify Jesus,...would find this "bad".

What a weird world,...I live in.

[AP]

7. Stunning that this is coming from France. Chirac must have some friends

who do business in former french colonies who want to benefit from the investments there. Nonetheless, an interesting idea.