Tax Justice media release

Robin Hood sighted in vicinity of Parliament

Robin Hood has been sighted in the vicinity of New Zealand’s parliament buildings. “We expect he’s going to join the union rally protesting the National government’s Budget cuts,” says Vaughan Gunson, Tax Justice campaign coordinator.

The union organised ‘Don’t Cut Our Future’ rally commences at 12.15pm tomorrow, Thursday 19 May, outside Parliament. (See http://union.org.nz/dontcutourfuture)

“Robin Hood has long been a symbol of grassroots justice, of the struggle against corruption and unequal wealth and power,” says Gunson. “Which is why the international campaign for a Financial Transaction Tax which targets banks, speculators and the super-rich is being branded the Robin Hood Tax.”

“The Robin Hood Tax campaign (www.robinhoodtax.org) originated after the global financial crisis, which saw banks and other financial institutions worldwide bailed out with public money,” says Gunson. “The obscene levels of these bail-outs has disgusted grassroots people around the world, including New Zealanders.”

“There’s a growing global movement demanding that the banks and other financial institutions be made to foot the bill for the financial crisis, and not grassroots people through cuts to public spending,” says Gunson.

In March this year, MPs in the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a Financial Transaction Tax to be introduced across Europe. The Finnish government is in full support.

Jyrki Katainen, Finland's Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, has said “Finland will push for a global financial transaction tax.” But if there’s no international agreement “Finland is ready to have a domestic one, ” Katainen said. (See http://robinhoodtax.org/latest/finland-introduce-robin-hood-tax)

“Given the pressures on our government’s Budget, which National is using to justify cuts to public spending, then it’s imperative that we look seriously at how a Financial Transaction Tax could work in New Zealand,” says Gunson.

Another band of Robin Hoods will be outside the TVNZ studios on Victoria Street West in Auckland on Thursday 19 May between 12noon and 3pm. They’ll be collecting signatures for the Tax Justice petition which calls on parliament to remove GST from food and tax financial speculation instead.

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