Robin Hood Goes To Capitol Hill

Will Congress get serious about taxing financial transactions?

By Sarah Cobarrubias

Take from the rich, give to the poor. The legendary robber’s credo found new expression in U.S. law on September 14, when Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) introduced the “Robin Hood tax” bill. Formally known as the Inclusive Prosperity Act, it proposes [RETURN TO ARTICLE]

  • Reader Comments

    How disappointing. I thought it was a bank tax.

    Hungary: Banks
    seen offloading costs of new financial transaction tax onto consumers.
    Banks will transfer the costs of the new financial transactions tax onto
    clients from January next year, the daily Nepszabadsag said on Friday,
    citing lists of conditions published by banks.

    Bummer. Dude.
    What the. UK Parliament European Scrutiny Committee citing the EU
    Commission’s FTT Impact Assessment, “a 3.43% fall in EU GDP equates to a
    fall in economic output worth €421 (£362) billion and a 0.34% fall in
    employment equates to a loss of 812,000 jobs.”

    Where’s me
    money? UK Parliament Economic Sub-Committee of the House of Lords, “The
    FTT is likely to induce a loss in GDP between five and 20 times larger
    than the revenues raised from the tax.”

    Why should I pay it?
    IMF’s FTT Final Report For The G-20, June 2010,  “Its real burden may
    fall largely on final consumers rather than, as often seems to be
    supposed, earnings in the financial sector.”

    Posted by ftf123 on Nov 7, 2012 at 9:11 AM

    How about a higher tax that would generate one trillion dollars a year and actually contribute to paying down the debt….as well as cutting Federal spending. The wealthy would end up paying most of it…and so they should. Historically they paid well over € of their income in taxes. It was only thought the effects of bribery and the buying of Congress that their taxes were reduced massively and they passed the costs onto the Middle Class.

    Posted by Aneesia on Nov 7, 2012 at 10:14 AM

    Poor little Canadians: Told to Duck and cover! by their Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty!  China, meanwhile, announces a new and very much more dangerous nuclear capability: The Thorium LFTR reactor. Ref:
    (See:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
    (See:
    http://www.investmentu.com/201…
    Combined with the already proposed “Population Bomb” an attempt to provide cheaper labour to help pay for ageing population, retirees, and therefore balance their system! Will they build the pan Eurasian Alliances into Empire this way?

    Posted by Bruce Miller on Nov 7, 2012 at 4:01 PM

    If you’d like to sign a petition in favor of a Robin Hood Tax for Illinois, go to http://www.chicagodsa.org for a link.

    Posted by robertmroman on Nov 9, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    Wall Street’s highspeed computerized buying and selling of stocks in seconds
    violates the intended purpose of a stock market while increasing the threat
    of another crash.  A little tax on each transaction could slow things down
    in their boom/bust cycle.

    Posted by nanosecond on Nov 9, 2012 at 6:31 PM

    Top 10%—a 35% Effective Tax Rate=Surplus in 2013 budget.
    They got richer off borrowed money so pay up time is here.
    Raise payroll Cap to $200,000. They will not miss it.

    Posted by Clarence Swinney on Nov 11, 2012 at 11:21 AM

    35% effective Tax Rate on top10%=surplus +
    In 2009 thye paid 18% AGI or about 15% effective rate
    Raise Payroll cap to $200,000.
    79M seniors soon on ss—- medcare ==many on medicaid

    Posted by Clarence Swinney on Nov 11, 2012 at 11:26 AM

    Copy UK had it for decades

    Posted by Clarence Swinney on Nov 11, 2012 at 11:26 AM