‘Tackle bankers' greed to fight poverty'
08 February 2010
EMBARGO: 00.01 hrs GMT, Wednesday 10 February 2010
NEWS PEG
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Robin Hood Tax coalition, including the charity War on Want, launches new campaign on banks' financial transactions to raise billions of pounds to fight poverty, safeguard public services and tackle climate change.
War on Want renews bid for transactions tax
The anti-poverty charity War on Want today called on the leaders of Britain's political parties to turn bailed out bankers' greed into help for the developing world through a new tax on financial transactions.
The charity signalled its call as a coalition, including War on Want, launched a campaign for a Robin Hood tax which could raise billions of pounds to fight poverty, safeguard public services and tackle climate change.
In 2001 the charity first headed a drive for a tax on currency transactions with its report The Robin Hood Tax.
Now War on Want is pressing the UK's main political parties to support a global tax on banks' financial transactions to help reverse the human cost of the global economic crisis.
John Hilary, the charity's executive director, said: "British people have been appalled by bankers' abuse of public money to pay themselves large bonuses. The Robin Hood tax is a direct way for the banks to repay their debt to society. It is truly an idea whose time has come."
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The War on Want report The Robin Hood Tax can be downloaded here
- John Hilary chairs the Stamp Out Poverty coalition, which campaigns for additional finance sources for developing countries.
- Mr Hilary is available to brief journalists and for interviews.
CONTACT: Paul Collins, War on Want media office (+44) (0)20 7549 0584 or (+44) (0)7983 550728
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