Saturday, March 16, 2013

European Union Plans Tax on Financial Transactions

EU Leadership Plans Tax on Financial Transactions, Newsy Business, Oct. 1, 2011

Transcript:

BY: MIKKEL NOEL LANZKY

The European Commission is putting forward plans for a financial transactions tax in an effort to recoup some of the bailouts the EU has given out to fend off the financial crisis and to curb future speculative trading that contributed to the creation of the crisis.

Bloomberg gives us the lowdown.

“The proposal would apply a tax of 0.1 percent on trading of stocks and bonds, with a 0.01 percent rate for derivatives contracts [...] The proposed tax is aimed at banks, investment firms, insurance companies, pension funds, stockbrokers and hedge funds, among other types of financial firms.”

The tax, laid out by Commission President José Manuel Barroso in a speech to the European Parliament could bring in about €55 billion in revenue. According to the Financial Times, Barroso argues EU countries have guaranteed more than 4 trillion Euro to support the banking sector.

“It’s a question of fairness… it is time for the financial sector to make a contribution back to society.”

Left-leaning British newspaper Morning Star quotes former investment banker Sony Kapoor supporting the tax.

“Financial transaction taxes, appropriately designed, can not only raise substantial revenue but also enhance stability by discouraging destabilising trading that serves little economic purpose.”

The European Commission wants the tax to come into effect in 2014, but there are political hurdles. The UK is firmly against taxing financial activity, London’s banking center is the focal point of the global financial markets.

Transcript by Newsy.

Nurses Rally in Chicago to Heal America, Tax Wall Street

Nurses Rally in Chicago to Heal America, Tax Wall Street, National Nurses United, YouTube, Sept. 1, 2011



Nurses rallied in Chicago as part of a nationwide appeal to Heal America, Tax Wall Street. Every day, at their jobs, nurses are on the front lines of our sick economy. They see patients who can’t afford their medications, prenatal care, and other essential services. But nurses know there is a solution.

It’s time for politicians to stop coddling Wall Street and start caring for Main Street America. National Nurses United is proposing a small tax on Wall Street transactions that would both curb reckless speculation and provide up to 350 billion in funds to heal our ailing economy.

Economist Dean Baker Advocates for Speculation Tax on Financial Transactions

Why we need to tax Wall Street transactions, Public Citizen, Jan. 29, 2010



Bills before Congress would create a speculation tax on financial transactions that could raise funds from the rich while deterring the harmful churning of stocks. Economist Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic Policy Research, discusses why we need a speculation tax, or financial transaction tax.

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Stock Transfer Tax, “Year in Ideas 2008″, New York Times Magazine, 12/14/2008

The New York Times magazine called it one of the top ideas of 2008, and numerous economists support the FTT.

Baker “estimates that a small tax of up to one quarter of 1 percent imposed on the sale of a wide range of securities would do more than curb speculation; it would also yield $100 billion to $150 billion — money that could go toward paying for aid to Wall Street. Better still, Baker contends, most of the revenue would end up coming from Wall Street, not ordinary investors.”

Robin Hood Tax on Financial Transactions in United Kingdom Could Raise Hundreds of Billions

The Banker, by the Robin Hood Tax, UK, Feb. 9, 2010

Campaign video by Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy, about the Robin Hood Tax, a tiny tax on bank transactions that could raise hundreds of billions for public services and to tackle poverty and climate change at home and around the world.