France Would Like To Tax Your Airplane Ticket
LONDON - Detractors of the current incumbent of the Elysee Palace will no doubt claim it's another harebrained scheme born out of a combination of naivete and hubris--for the French president has instructed his government to start taxing airline tickets to raise money for international development as of next year.
Jacques Chirac has sought a levy on air fares before; in June he talked up a tax on international air tickets to fund the fight against AIDS and poverty in Africa. And in January he suggested taxing financial transactions or raising money by levying $1 on every airline ticket sold worldwide to the World Economic Forum.
Washington has already balked at the idea; no doubt to the relief of beleaguered U.S. carriers such as UAL's United Airlines, AMR's American Airlines and Northwest Airlines. But Chirac's quest may not be entirely quixotic; in June the EU approved the idea of a tax on flights within Europe to raise around $680 million a year for development.
What an idiot. This will never work, and here's why:
First of all, dumping money on third world countries isn't going to solve a thing. These places don't suffer from a lack of funding, we've been dumping billions upon billions of dollars in aid on them every year. What they need is a change in leadership. Give them a democratic and capitalistic government and soon we won't have to send them any more aid.
Second, levying more and more taxes on businesses and then shipping that money out of country is going to do more harm to your own economy than good to anyone else's. In fact, given the history of sending aid to developing countries, I'd say that the people who benefit the most from this kind of aid is the crackpot dictators and oppressors who are in charge of these places. It perpetuates their rule because it keeps the people just fed enough, just satisfied enough with their lot in life to keep from revolting. I'm beginning to think that these countries should be told to "go democratic or starve." Cruel, perhaps, but at this point it may be the only way to force them to become self-sufficient.
Third, no country in the world should ever, ever submit to a tax levied by an international organization. Having something like the UN to facilitate diplomacy and end international disputes is one thing, but giving that body the power to subjugate a country's sovereignty and levy taxes is quite another. We'd never see an end to the proposed taxes from those bureaucrats.
Update:
As clarification to my above comments, let me add the following:
Some developing, "third-world" nations are democratic. Or are, at least, striving to be. I do feel that these places are worthy of international support. Where I draw the line, however, is providing millions upon millions in aid to places run by the Mugabe's of the world. Pouring more and more aid into these places does little good as most of it is absorbed by the corrupt regimes that run them and what little does trickle down to the people only serves to placate them where they should be outraged and demanding a change in leadership.
The rest of my points about international taxes and foreign aid still stand.
ellinas
Rob
RebTex
goon
Wing Chun Geologist
Puzzlefeet
Sparkie Arbuckle
Hairy Polemic
Hoss
The Whistler
