Tax the Traders
Unfortunately, the theme of deregulating Wall Street comes up time and time again and this election cycle has been no exception. That’s a very irresponsible attitude when Americans are still struggling from the impacts of the Great Recession. We need more financial protections, not less.
Public Citizen fought alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren and our partners across the country to enact Wall Street reform legislation but it fell short and left out some key changes to rein-in harmful financial practices, like high-speed trading on the stock market. Now is the time to push for change that can stop the reckless activities of Wall Street traders.
That’s why Public Citizen supports the Wall Street Speculation Tax. Originally introduced in the U.S. in 1914, the tax was doubled as a way to speed economic recovery after the Great Depression, Public Citizen wants the United States to rejoin the around 40 countries that currently have some form of taxes on financial transactions like Wall Street trades.
As a member of the Take on Wall Street campaign, Public Citizen continues to call on Congress to make policy changes that will help cut back on some of the worst of Wall Street’s greed and excesses. Reinstating a tax on Wall Street trades is an essential part of the prescription to making the market work for Main Street and average investors. And, with the Wall Street Speculation Tax, the traders responsible for the 2008 crash would begin to repay their debt to society.
What is the Wall Street Speculation Tax?
Also known as a financial transaction tax or Robin Hood tax, the Wall Street Speculation Tax would add a fee to Wall Street trades such as stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. Legislative proposals vary, but typically the fee would equal a few cents per hundred dollars traded, but would raise tens billions of dollars per year of revenue that could be spent on education and create jobs while reducing dangerous financial market speculation.
Who supports the Wall Street Speculation Tax?
Business leaders and financial industry professionals like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chair Sheila Bair and Vanguard founder John Bogle have all given their support to the Wall Street Speculation Tax. Labor unions like the Communications Workers of America and the AFLCIO and environmental and faith groups like Friends of the Earth and NETWORK (the “Nuns on the Bus” group) have also added their voices to the growing number of organizations and individuals seeking to curb reckless Wall Street speculation.
What can I do?
Take action at TakeOnWallSt.com to sign a petition to tell Congress to reform our markets, including by passing a Wall Street Speculation Tax. Or, you can like the campaign on Facebook.
We hope that you’ll join with Public Citizen and our partners in this next phase of Wall Street reform!
Post by recently matriculated Public Citizen intern Amanda Bragg. Thanks, Amanda!