A Robin Hood Tax To Take On Poverty and Climate Change?

The concept was invented by Professor James Tobin of Yale University. The movement started in the UK and spreading  to  25 countries including the H.S. The Robin Hood Tax initiative is a collaboration and partnership between many nonprofit organizations, politicians and activist volunteers in countries including England, Canada, the United States, Spain, Mexico, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands and more. The idea is to turn our global financial crisis into an opportunity to provide funds to address gender equality, climate change, international maternal healthcare.  The thinking is-  as result of the financial crisis  created by  hedge funds, banks and other financial institutions  these issues have gotten worse.  An example from Britain is that according to an IMF report as a result of the global financial crisis 1 in 5 British families has to choose between food or paying for heat.

Now think of conditions in  impoverished developing countries that were in the worse economic circumstances to begin with and where the  result of the financial crisis has resulted in even more devastating poverty, slower progress toward access to clean water sources and towards improving conditions  for the healthcare of infants and mothers. 

The idea of The Robin Hood Tax is that the financial institutions that caused the global meltdown need to pay to clean up the mess they made. The idea is that instead of mega bonuses and government  bailouts these financial institutions be charged a tiny tax on their billions that would go toward improved education, cleaner environment,   healthcare, gender equality and more.  This coalition of nonprofits, politicians and volunteers is not only spreading an idea they are getting legislation enacted.  In March 2013  volunteers protested in Washington DC. American celebrity supporters  include Russell Simmons, actor Mark Alan Ruffalo, Michael Moore and Tom Morello Grammy winning guitarist for Rage Against The Machine. To learn more visit   www.robinhoodtax.org