ONE WORLD GOV'T. ALERT

Nations Call for Tax to Help Fight Poverty

Jun 28, 6:39 AM (ET)

By EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - France, Germany, Brazil and Chile have called for a tax on airline tickets to help finance the global fight against poverty.
Such a tax makes sense because airlines benefit from globalization and pay low tax rates, and airline passengers "are rarely among the poorest citizens," Thierry Breton, France's economic minister, told a U.N. ministerial meeting on Monday.
He said the tax could be different for domestic and international travel and for economy and business seats, and it could also vary depending on a country's wealth. The proceeds would go through existing institutions "to avoid needless bureaucracy" and could be used to finance urgent programs such as vaccination campaigns or AIDS treatment.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050628/D8B0IHOO0.html