> Subject: > ip: Fwd: Fw: U.N. seeks to tax international currency trades > Date: > Thu, 1 Feb 2001 06:42:05 -0800 > From: > "R. A. Hettinga" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: > Digital Bearer Settlement List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > --- begin forwarded text > > > Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2001 01:36:07 -0600 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > From: Kepi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (by way of [EMAIL PROTECTED]) > Subject: ip: Fwd: Fw: U.N. seeks to tax international currency trades > > > From: "Les" <address suppressed> > Subject: Fw: U.N. seeks to tax international currency trades > Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 08:26:19 -0800 > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Charleston Voice > Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 7:59 AM > Subject: U.N. seeks to tax international currency trades > > But a stepping stone to a World Income Tax. Only feeble resistance expected > from the US Congress. > > The Washington Times > <http://www.washtimes.com>www.washtimes.com > > ---------- > > > > > U.N. seeks to tax international currency trades > > > > > > > > Betsy Pisik > THE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished 1/31/01 > > ---------- > NEW YORK The United Nations yesterday issued a sweeping list of > proposals to help the world's poorest nations cope with the effects of > globalization, including an idea for a global tax on international currency > transactions. > A 0.1 percent tax on $1.5 trillion worth of "speculative" currency > transactions could yield $150 billion a year that could be used to > stabilize volatile markets, said the report, compiled in collaboration with > the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade > Organization and others. > Officials who drafted the report showed little enthusiasm yesterday > for the measure, one of dozens that may wind up in a non-binding agreement > nations will negotiate in March 2002. > "We have not recommended any such thing," Nitin Desai, the U.N. > undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, said of the global > tax, which is presented in paragraph 113 of the 64-page report and touted > in its press kit. > Instead, he said, "It's one of the areas where the report is not > clearly making an explicit recommendation but simply saying that someone > has said, 'Think about it.' " > He declined to elaborate on how such a tax would be collected, > administered or disbursed. Nor would he say whether U.N. Secretary-General > Kofi Annan would endorse such a measure. > Reinhard Munzberg, the U.N. representative for the International > Monetary Fund, and Enrique Rueda-Sabater, a World Bank senior manager, also > pointedly refused to endorse the suggestion, which apparently was offered > by nongovernmental organizations and unnamed member states. > A panel of high-profile financial analysts, including former Treasury > Secretary Robert Rubin and former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, is to > release its own recommendations next month. > The U.N. officials no doubt are stung by reactions to earlier ideas > for world taxes. > Last year, the authors of the U.N. Development Program's annual Human > Development Report suggested a special tax on Internet commerce and > messages. The suggestion presented in less than a sentence overshadowed the > massive evaluation of human rights. > Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali derailed his hopes for a > second term, in part, by suggesting in the mid-1990s that the United > Nations raise funds by taxing international airline tickets. Largely > because of that, the U.S. Congress made payment of $100 million in U.N. > funds contingent on the organization's promise not to try to levy its own > taxes. > "Among [private nonprofit organizations] there is a strong sympathy > for a measure of this kind," said Danish Ambassador Jorgen Bojer. He said > his own government was mildly interested in the idea but had decided it was > not worth the political effort to pursue it. > The report released yesterday suggests scores of ways for the > industrialized world to lower trade barriers, encourage debt forgiveness, > and direct capital and investment dollars to the poorest nations. > Developing countries are advised in the report to improve access to > microcredit loans, provide better regulation of financial markets, and > reform tax and banking measures. > The officials note that official development assistance continues to > shrink well below a long-standing target of 0.7 percent of developed > countries' gross national product (GNP). The median in 1999 was only 0.25 > of GNP, while the bulk of nearly $200 billion in private investment last > year went to 20 nations. > Meanwhile, the world's poorest nations slid deeper into debt. Total > debt equaled the total GNP in 1998 for the world's poorest countries. > World trade more than tripled to $5.4 trillion between 1995 and 1998, > while exports from the least-developed nations accounted for $26 billion, a > $2 billion increase in the same period. > Copyright © 2001 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. > > ---------- > <http://www.washtimes.com//default-200113122721.htm>Return to the article > > > --- end forwarded text > > > -- > ----------------- > R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> > 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA > "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, > [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to > experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' > -- http://www.bearerinstruments.com A Directory of Web sites and Internet presences accepting non-fiat monies. http://www.bearerinstruments.com/assets/BIMDsPGPkey.txt 650C 51DA 734F 697F 5706 3D6A 7712 BCC9 D1AE 00BA --- You are currently subscribed to e-gold-list as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]