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| Europe |
| Chirac proposes international |
| 2005-01-26 |
| French President Jacques Chirac called for an "experimental" international tax to help fund the war against AIDS, suggesting it could be raised via a levy on airline tickets, some fuels or financial transactions. After all its only the camel's nose we are letting into the tent..... In a speech via video link to political and business leaders in the Swiss resort of Davos, he said at least 10 billion dollars (7.7 billion euros) a year was needed -- up from six billion annually now -- to stem the spread of the disease. They are having their meeting in a exclusive swiss RESORT while asking for more money? Does anyone else see anything fishy here? Chirac, prevented from flying to the World Economic Forum here through poor weather, said that despite huge efforts so far, "we are failing in the face of this terrible pandemic." I mean how can we afford to have more forums at exclusive resorts if we dont have a tax? He suggested options including: a "contribution" on international financial transactions, a tax on aviation and maritime fuel, a tax on capital movements in or out of countries which practised banking secrecy, or a "small levy" such as a dollar on the three billion airline tickets sold every year. "What is striking about these examples," Chirac said, "is the disproportion between the modest efforts required and the benefits everyone would reap from them." The president said developed countries should also create tax incentives to stimulate private donations to charity. Chirac acknowledged that his proposal would be widely debated, an allusion to US opposition to any international tax, and said there was "no question" of treading on each country's right to set its own levies. "But there is nothing to prevent states from cooperating and coming to an understanding on new resources and their allocation to a common cause," Chirac added. He said a tax on international financial transactions would be implemented sparingly and at a very low rate and would not be an obstacle to normal market operations. It could raise 10 billion dollars a year, he went on. After all its only the Nose, not the whole camel.... A levy on capital movements would partially compensate for the consequences of tax evasion which damaged the poorest countries, and would be allocated to development. The fuel tax would apply to air and sea transport and effectively end the current exemption regime. Any bets the UN would be exempt from this tax? Meanwhile, a small levy on plane tickets would not compromise the economic balance of the aviation sector, the president said. Two years ago Chirac also raised the possibility of an international tax to help the fight against AIDS, but gave few details, while he has several times extolled the idea to help combat the negative effects of globalisation |
| Posted by:CrazyFool |
| #19 Chiraq has GREAT ideas for spending other people's money. Tell him to talk to Kofi and the UN ought to be able to cough up some Oil for Palaces money......if they have not spent it all yet. FOAD, Chiraq. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-01-26 9:23:49 PM |
| #18 Captain America: Here ya go, man. Good luck with that. |
| Posted by: BH 2005-01-26 9:12:22 PM |
| #17 The problem I have is that this would set a precedent which the U.N. would most likely follow with all sorts of 'compassion taxes' on all sorts of things. Taxes to Yes some people who have AIDS got it by transfusion or some other involunterary method but the vast-vast majority did so by their own actions. I used to be a smoker and didn't expect anyone else to pay for my smoking. This is just another form of Oil-For-Palaces-and-Bribes.. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-01-26 8:04:14 PM |
| #16 I always figured Jacques was a OWG Betty Crockercrat.. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-26 7:12:27 PM |
| #15 where's Joe Mendiola with his OWG (One World Gov't)? This is indeed the proverbial camel's nose. Shoot it with a 2nd amendment protected firearm. F*&k off, Jacques and Kofi |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-26 7:01:34 PM |
| #14 "Oh, and what good would it do when we know what caused infection and still can't get folks to use protection?" -that's it in a nutshell. I agree w/2xs as well. Those who stupidly yet willingly engage in self destructive behavior don't get much sympathy from me either. I've no compassion for anyone in my generation who took up cigarette smoking. My friends and I were told ad nauseum about the evils of cigarettes as well as unprotected sex all through the 80s&90s. I'm a big believer in personal responsibility. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2005-01-26 6:37:35 PM |
| #13 BH: Bull shit! Seems the Oil-for-Food (better known as Money-for-Saddam) was couched in goody-good humanitarian causes. Seems Frenchy had a bank called BP that collected funds. Seems Frenchy had a staff member prominently listed on the scandal sheet. Seems Chirac wants to pontificate a self aggrandizing program and have others pay the bill. There isn't a moralistic bone is Chirac's pruney body. No taxation without representation. Them's fighting words. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-01-26 6:32:44 PM |
| #12 Good point, BH. It's all in the packaging. The UN transnationals could not get their claws on US taxpyer $ through Kyoto, so they're trying the "compassionate" angle and I hate to say it but we have a willing victim sitting in the Oval Office this very minute. The transies may get this to fly with GWB with enough pink ribbons and bows. Anyways, let's face it AIDS is not a reult of poverty. It's caused by promiscuity, by self-directed, self-destructive behavior. How much "education" or how much money does it take for a person either living in Bel Air or South Africa to realize that keeping zippers up and panties on are the best deterents to getting AIDS? I'm compassioned out about AIDS "victims" these days. How much compassion do we show fat people or cigarette smokers with regards to their self-destructive behavior? Both these groups are virtual pariahs in our society, not pitied ad nauseam. We give these 2 groups a kick in the pants and tell them it's all about poor self-control. With regards to cigarette smoking, tough love appears to be working. With regards to obesity, people are becoming more self conscious about undisciplined eating habits and laziness and are are trying to change their life styles. I don't understand why AIDS is such a cosmic everyman problem. It's a problem related to individual excesses and I think we need to re-think the whole pity them/it's not their fault goo goo head thinking because AIDS is increasing not decreasing with the compassionate approach. I think some tough love is in order. |
| Posted by: 2xstandard 2005-01-26 6:24:43 PM |
| #11 An international tax does two things. (1) It allows the UN to take credit for giving the money out (2) It hides the fact that one or two countries would be paying the bulk of such a tax. Oh, and what good would it do when we know what caused infection and still can't get folks to use protection? Maybe we can keep the infected alive longer but I'm not sure we can do anything to stop the rate of infection without putting a few bullets into a few world leaders (and at least one Noble Prize winner) who spread rumors and nonesense about the origin of AIDs. Why would the US want to be involved? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-01-26 6:08:32 PM |
| #10 Didn't we fight a war over taxation without representation? Yeah, but that's only because the British neglected to couch their demands in moralistic terms. Had taxation of the colonists been justified on the basis of "feeding all the people in the world", we would have been a bunch of selfish, whiny poopyheads instead of freedom-fighters, wouldn't we? |
| Posted by: BH 2005-01-26 5:15:03 PM |
| #9 Screw this. I will go into armed revolt before I pay a cent. I can't help it if France and the EU can't seem to come up with the money to help fight HIV/AIDS. The US is doing it in the billions. Bite me Jacques . |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-01-26 5:14:36 PM |
| #8 Yes, folks, Chirac wants to get into your pants and left from your wallet. The very person who helped turn Oil-for-Fool into a travesty wants to lift from your wallet. Didn't we fight a war over taxation without representation? |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-01-26 5:09:55 PM |
| #7 Sure I'll send you a buck, Jake. But only if you'll roll it up and shove it up your ass. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-01-26 5:06:07 PM |
| #6 The French seem to have that habit. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-01-26 5:05:27 PM |
| #5 If it's such a good idea, you would think that the French people would be more than willing to have a tax increase to raise the meagre amount of $15B that he wants. It's such a good cause and all. And besides, the world *obviously* doesn't want the US's money, because they are always trashing us at the world AIDS conferences. I mean, you don't attack somebody then seriously ask for them to give you money any other time, do you? |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-01-26 4:54:00 PM |
| #4 I'll write him a check but he'll have to deposit it with a tennis raquet. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-01-26 4:20:45 PM |
| #3 Let me write you a check, just don't try and cash it. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-01-26 4:15:52 PM |
| #2 Completely unrelated to the international tax for Chirac's proposed "international disaster relief tax," naturellement. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-01-26 4:09:55 PM |
| #1 Any excuse for an "international tax". |
| Posted by: Dishman 2005-01-26 4:06:15 PM |