On October 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet behind closed doors in Moscow to once again consider mandating expansive excise taxes that degrade national sovereignty. In response to the numerous attempts by global institutions to implement regional and international taxes, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and Property Rights Alliance together with 23 taxpayer and free market groups from 18 countries has released an international coalition letter promoting tax competition and outlining firm opposition to transnational taxation and to any increase and harmonization to excise taxes.
Excerpt from the letter:
We, the undersigned taxpayer, free market groups and individuals support tax autonomy and oppose any regional or international tax changes that include “harmonizing” tax rates or introducing new taxes. Such schemes have been proposed through the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Tax competition can be a key factor driving countries to lower tax rates and increase economic activity.” […] Tax Competition, by contrast, is a natural dynamic that allows people to move economic resources from high tax areas to low tax areas. […]
A much-discussed tax is the Financial Transactions Tax (FTT), also known as the Tobin Tax, which has been proposed in various guises by different bodies over the past few years including the EU. One model, proposed by the UN, is a world tax imposed on all financial transactions, with the goal of funding a global model of social services including basic income, free healthcare, education and housing to those the UN deem in need. […]
There have been attempts by the EU and by the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish uniform excise taxes on products such as sugary drinks, tobacco, and alcohol. This would represent a dangerous precedent, and such excise taxes could be easily extended to all other consumer products.