Prince Of Thieves
There are several organisations with offices in the same building as Greenbelt, one of which is Stamp Out Poverty. Stamp Out Poverty are an organisation which campaigns on development finance, primarily looking at ways that financial institutions can generate money for the developing world; money to fund vaccination and treatment of disease, and to eradicate poverty.
One way proposed by Stamp Out Poverty is the Tobin Tax, named after Nobel Laureate James Tobin, which suggests a tax on currency transactions worldwide. The idea being that a small tax (0.05% or so) on global transactions could raise hundreds of billions of pounds in funds for development both globally and within the UK.
Now, they've joined with a dizzying list of other organisations, given the Tobin Tax a snappy new name - The Robin Hood Tax, and roped in Bill Nighy and Richard Curtis for this brilliant video...
Despite the fact that Bill Nighy backing a campaign could persuade me to get excited about most things*, the Robin Hood Tax is at worst a thought-provoking idea, and at best a radical way to make a real difference to the world's most vulnerable people.
What do you think? Will it work?
Read more about it and consider doing something to support the campaign, and Greenbelt's neighbours!
.
.
* Which was fine when he was being a rogueish newspaper editor, but less fine when he was being a Nazi. And a squid-faced pirate.
