Göran Persson does not believe in Tobin's idea

During recent weeks however, when two proposals in favour of CTT from the Swedish Green and Left parties - the two supporting parties of the social democratic government - have been discussed and voted for in the parlament, the Social Democrats have turned down the proposals. The arguments have been the same as when Attac Sweden lifted the CTT-debate in Sweden in 2001, namely that the CTT-proposals will not be effective and that they will be impossible to implement, mainly becauce of a supposed need of global support from all the worlds governments.

Attac Sweden, the Left and the Green party have answered with a joint statement in one of the leading Swedish daily papers, claiming that the arguments against the proposals are old and insufficient and that the Social Democrats are acting both against the message given by the minister of aid, and against a growing international support for both CTT and global taxation.

And then this week came the latest and most confusing twist. During the OECD-meeting in Paris the Swedish prime minister, the Social Democratic leader Göran Persson, stated that he does not believe in a the idea of a taxation on international flights, or global taxation at all. He also stated that he 'never did believe in the idea of a Tobin Tax'.

Not only are these statements contrary to what Göran Persson have said before, when Attac was formed in Sweden, they are also in direct contradiction with the statements given by the minister of aid Carin Jämtin earlier this spring.

The prime minister in the same government which according to Jämtin is actively working on global taxation, and aspecially on taxation of international flights together with France, now states that such proposals are bad and that he does not believe in global taxation in the first place.

Confusion is all around to say the least - and according to leading members of Attac Sweden they will now contact the government to demand an explanation. At least, they argue, they want to know what the actual political line of the government is, and what exactly the government are doing in the issues of global taxation and CTT.

Jens Ergon
Journalist and member of Attac Sweden