The Robin Hood Tax

David Hillman, the Coordinator of Stamp Out Poverty presented The Robin Hood Campaign, at the European Business School of London (10/03/10). The concept is to apply a tax of 0.005% on all international currency banking transactions. This tax is estimated to raise around $400 billion (£263bn) globally every year.

As this project is still in its campaigning stage, support is crucial. Most of the public seem to be in favour of this tax for two reasons: It is for the better good; and as the crisis is the fault of the bankers, they need to pay. This project aims to reach the G20 summit in Canada (June 2010). David Hillman said: “This project is from bottom to top; UK is the starting point, followed by the world.”

The Robin Hood Tax campaign is very strategic in targeting its

public at their most vulnerable time; there is a strong common anger against banks, and this is the only option that does not tax ‘them’.

This campaign is based on strong pathos and on situational logos. The main economies have recently, due to the crisis, switch from a shareholder to a stakeholder society. However, numerous crises have happened and showed this society switch is easily reversible. If we fall back into a stakeholder’s society, the Robin Hood Tax will be forgotten effortlessly.