What is possible through a campaign for CTT?
Bruno Jetin, an Economist and Researcher at the Institute of Research on Development in France, talked about the significance of CTT from different aspects: why it is needed, why it is important in Asia, how should it be levied, why we have to struggle against neo-liberalism, how we can raise problem consciousness, why debt cancellation is urgently needed, and more.
He emphasized that the CTT or Tobin Tax would not become a panacea for eliminating neo-liberalism, however, the tax having an instructive effect on people would create an opportunity for them to think about neo-liberalism, and bring about discussion on it in society. He also said, "Seen in that light, the Air Flight Levy introduced under the initiative of President Chirac and the International Finance Facility initiated by British Finance Minister Gordon Brown are not designed to solve neo-liberal issues. The idea that the CTT is just a means of finance for development is wrong. The way of taking advantage of CTT depends on the conditions facing each country, region or organization because what people are concerned about is different. The main thing is that we have to consider how we familiarize people with financial or economical issues." Bruno mentioned some former campaigns in France: "Activists of ATTAC France and UK landed in the Guernsey Island, a famous tax heaven and they held a protest rally. When competition for obtaining profit in financial transaction was planned at the mathematics concours at school, ATTAC France discussed with the union of school staff the idea of money or stock transaction to stop the competition. The union was initially reluctant to have outside persons involved in school affairs; however, activists of ATTAC France won over the union after discussions. That shows the spread of a movement. The success was brought about not by chance but as a result of different efforts or approaches of dedicated activists."
We at ATTAC Japan have addressed neo-liberal issues since our foundation. As for CTT, particularly, we have made efforts to make union and trade activists involved in the CTT campaign.
At the meeting on the 13th one worker from an independent telecom union explained his union's struggle against forced job-conversion, adding that his company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, privatized in 1985, lost a lot in stock transactions in Europe several years ago making the company set restructuring plans, such as, wage cuts, early retirement or transfers.
Recently
M&A by investment fund firms is on the increase in Japan,
attracting attention from the public on traders' activities; however,
on the other hand, causing labor disputes in which investment fund
firms intervene in industrial relations to pursue more profit by
proposing changes in the wage system or working conditions, transfer...
for instance. We consider that it is time to power up our CTT campaign.
Our
discussion stretched to issues of Yuan or Chinese currency. A financial
crisis may occur in China, accompanied by its monetary relaxation
around the end of 2006. Something shaky may happen with the strong yen.
We have to watch and address it. In addition, we discussed the climate
in Japan in which the term "liberal" was accepted with favor.
Included
among the attendance was one activist concerned with homeless issues
who talked about poverty happening in Japan, insisting that they were
entitled to public life security, a student who talked about student
movements, a public servant, an editorial staff, and more.
