Hear Ye, Hear Ye: The Robin Hood Tax USA Campaign has officially launched, and people are taking notice. Tuesday, June 19th, was a very exciting day for supporters of this tax reform, as many helped kick off a fifteen-city, nationwide protest outside of JP Morgan offices. For those of you who are still unsure of what this tax does, let me break it down. We, as citizens of the U.S., pay taxes on clothes, food, and property (to name a few), yet as of now, corporations are paying nothing on their financial transactions. The Robin Hood Tax is a small (.05%) tax on all financial transactions, which would lead to billions of dollars in federal revenue each year. In turn, this money will help fund national and global programs in areas of huge need: education, health care, HIV/AIDS prevention, global climate change, gender equality and more.
To help launch this revolutionary campaign, a web video (watch below) was released with the support of celebs such as Mark Ruffalo, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. The video explains how the tax is a “small change for the banks,” but “a big change for us,” and asks for viewers’ support by drawing a mask and Robin Hood hat onto the image of George Washington on every $1 bill. This tiny effort will help to bring awareness and publicity to this important movement.
The tax already has support from some very notable people, such Bill Gates, Al Gore, Desmond Tutu, Alexa Chung, Bill Nighy, and Sienna Miller. The movement is also gaining support from voters, and according to a 13-country global poll commissioned by the International Trade Union Confederation, 88% of voters in France, 82% in Germany, 76% in the UK and 63% in the USA support the tax.
Now the Robin Hood Tax needs your support! To get involved, add you name on the Robin Hood Tax website, follow the movement on their Twitter, like them on Facebook, and spread the world about this revolutionary tax reform that could provide serious aid to people in need!
