(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
[politics] This week, Erik Solheim came up with an answer to which there has been great expectations. The proposal for global taxes was the direct cause of the creation of Attac in 1998, and remains central to the globalization-critical movements.
The Soria Moria Declaration states that Norway should be a pioneer in global taxes. Until March 1 this year, Norway joined the presidential club in the "Leadership Group for Global Financing Mechanisms", but the government has consistently failed to respond to what Norway will do, despite repeated challenges.
So, this week, the answer came in the form of a letter to the Forum for Development and the Environment.
- This is a declaration of bankruptcy, there is nothing new here. In Soria Moria, the government says that we will be a spearhead on foreign exchange tax and aviation tax, but this letter indicates that Norway is going from spearhead to aftermath, says Marte Nilsen, leader of Attac.
In the letter, Solheim states that if an international currency tax working group is established, Norway will participate.
- It is the exact opposite of being a pioneering country, Nilsen says.
New Time calls Erik Solheim.
- I completely agree with Attac that there should have been greater movement internationally to introduce global taxes, but unfortunately that is not the case. Where there is actually movement now, is in tax havens, and where Norway has taken a leading role, and is, among other things, in dialogue with several US senators, says Solheim.
- Attac says that Norway according to Soria Moria should take the lead, and not wait for a critical mass of other countries?
- If Norway were to introduce currency tax and aviation tax alone, I doubt that we will get anywhere, it is more important to enter into dialogue with other countries, Solheim answers.
The issue of global taxes falls under both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Finance, and Marte Nilsen believes Solheim must have argued poorly against the Ministry of Finance.
- I will challenge Solheim to take some crash courses in the development of solidarity fees with the orthodox economists in the Ministry of Finance. The knowledge of the development that has taken place in the field of foreign exchange tax is extremely poor, says Nilsen. She points out that there are large differences between the type of foreign exchange tax in question now, and the types of regulatory foreign exchange tax that have been discussed in the past.
- I do not disagree that economists in the Ministry of Finance could have benefited from an economics course with Attac, but so far Attac may rather shoot at Kristin and me, Solheim answers in a humorous tone.
Every day, $ 2000 billion is traded in the foreign exchange market, a 120-fold increase since the 1970s.
- It is the banks and currency speculators who make the most money from the enormous cash flows that cross national borders every day. We must put in place global mechanisms for redistribution from those who have won on this system to those who have lost, says Nilsen.
- In a good social democratic tradition?
- Yes, this is not primarily about charity, it is about justice, about redistribution of values created in the global economy. This should be uncontroversial for a red-green government, Nilsen concludes.
