UN calls for 'billionaires tax' to help world's poor

So now the world community is acting like the street corner beggar. The poor should work harder and pull itself up by the boothstrap like the rest of the countries. Countries are like individuals, if you give a human being a handout, it's just for a day, but give a tool and know how, it's for a lifetime. So I hope our billionares leave the riches to heirs.

For Mr. Donald Trump, the real estate mogul, deny co-operation with the needed and you're already a trillionaire fugitive

If the U.N. charges more fees to member nations who abuse, control or limit the freedom of its citizen; it would make sense. There are plenty incompetent and corruption within U.N. system. The first place to start is U.N itself, by reducing the salary of many fat cats and acting more accountable to U.N. founding principle and charter. U.N. should show and create good examples that charity would flow from billionaires to sensible projects. Many prosperous countries tend to honor liberty, freedom of press and religion thus encourage owns citizens to have social responsibility. "Spreading the wealth" might sound good but eventually we are running out rich peoples to tax. U.N. should focus how to built the pond and teach people how to fish.

This would be morally, and morally wrong. It's outright socialism on a grad scale. ax the wealthy to "help" the poor by some unaccountable BS Govt or should I say international Govt bureaucratic program. The third would already receives billions in "generous" aid bu most of it falls in the hands of petty warlords and dictators like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Of course what the "wealthy" countries they refer to are ALL deeply indebted.. And no BTW, we have broken NO promise on helping the less fortunate. It's more like we were forced into helping such people.

No its not AiserX

it is more likely a cover. a way for the super rich to "buy" people, land, monopolize industries and control foreign govts.

That kind of thing happens all the time. Don't believe the propaganda of "altruism" and "philanthropy".

(Maybe that's what you meant tho, just your wording made me think differently).

Utter nonsense. Abolish the socialist organization already.

Nice attitude, Herve. Bloody poor people, eh? What have they ever done for us apart from starve?

Perhaps the UN could concentrate on getting countries to pay the fees it owes? How much does the US owe right now?

I get sick and tired of reading that the rich should pay more taxes. Get rid of their tax cuts and make them pay the same % as everyone else and be done with it.

Let's just start by getting these billionaires to actually pay enough taxes where they live, like the rest of us.

The filthy rich are about as likely to want to pay taxes to help the poor as Romney is likely to let us know exactly how much he has $$$$ hiding in overseas off shore bank accounts. IMHO

lucabrasi, you couldn't be more wrong about my stand against poverty. The most successful socialist societies or ones that nationalise wealth make everyone poorer, like Cuba, DPRK, and Native American tribal lands. Taking wealth from wealthy people(theft by any other name) primarily flows into the pockets of bureaucrats and cleptocrats. Give a hand up, not a handout.

These UN drones seem to believe that billionaires simply wallow in their wealth like Scrooge McDuck, and that they could give away a percentage of their money without making any noticeable difference. In fact, that wealth is invested in enterprises that create jobs, produce goods and services that we all need, and pay taxes. If some of that wealth was siphoned off through the UN, the result would be job losses and reduced economic activity in developed countries, more ill-gotten wealth for UN bureaucrats and corrupt third world politicians, and continued poverty for the intended beneficiaries. I would trust the Mafia more than the UN to deliver money to the poor.

The real role for the UN should be to help and encourage poor countries to create environments that are conducive to genuine investment by improving law and order and reducing corruption. It should also be encouraging rich countries to improve market access for goods from third world countries. Tragically, the UN has proved time and time again--most recently in Syria--that it can't even organize itself to oppose bloody murder.

“Would this hurt them?” it questioned.

Thats a really horrible way to justify a tax. When you get right down to it we don't really need money at all, so why not 100%? Just have the government establish martial law and control over food and the distribution of natural resources so that everyone gets their 'fair share'. Because mass wealth distribution has worked soooooo well in other places around the world.

So now the world community is acting like the street corner beggar.

It's amazing how the UN went from an institution for world peace to a soapbox for the insane. For every minute they spend talking about something usefull they spend days on useless drivel. Like when they give brutal dictators hours of time to denounce the US and then turn around and ask for money. And now that they've failed to do anything usefull with the billions they already have they want to double-dip into the coffers of the only people that seem to be making intelligent decisions.

Why yes, of course - let's just tax the rich. Never mind that most of these poor nations are run by corrupt governments who take what money in aid that they do get for themselves, and administer to their people in such a horribly poor and unjust way that they have no chance to become anything but a poor third-world nation. Taking more money from the rich will certainly help. What a bloody stupid bunch of useless fools the UN have turned out to be.

An annual lump sum payment by the super-rich is one of a host of measures including a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, currency exchanges or financial transactions proposed in a UN report that accuses wealthy nations of breaking promises to step up aid for the less fortunate.

Never mind as well that the entire world is in an economic crisis where even the people in wealthier nations such as the US find themselves struggling a bit to survive (granted, not as much as the poor nations who have nothing). Perish the thought that these nations work to make themselves somehow competitive in a world market rather than keeping on with the same old systems of corruption, splintered and clannish governments, civil wars and unwillingness to educate their own people. Why, pray-tell, is it incumbent on the rest of the world to be held responsible?

I don't quite understand this impetus to punish the wealthy because of their success. Perhaps this is because I am a capitalist. But I don't see it as a sin to succeed, and I don't see it as fair to hold those that do as responsible for the rest of the world.

An annual lump sum payment by the super-rich is one of a host of measures including a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, currency exchanges or financial transactions proposed in a UN report

And they want to place a tax on currency exchanges and financial transactions? What?? So people will not do business between nations or try to work a way around it that most likely will not be beneficial to the poor nations in the first place? Utter madness.

Should have read Alan's post first - much more eloquent than my own and very well put.

Alan, well said.

Funny how dim minds seem to ban together and praise each other whilst millions upon millions of humans all around the world do not have enough to eat nor any kind of shelter to call home. Food for thought, hey??

The United Nations would have to sack their think tanks & the ones who approved the (sorry) naive projects. IMF, world banks, now the UN..all positioned themselves with sideline missions -- fund-raising or institutional beggars. ( term quoted from earlier poster ).

Every nation on earth, including some among the G7, are experts in posing posture of being too poor to lend a help hand, example, The G20 meeting in Mexico ended up the BRICS nations cashing out contribution to IMF amounted to US$95billion.. USA zero ( nothing personal ).. Wishing the U.S. Billionaires could be more generous than their Federal Govt. ?

Lazy people - let 'em starve. @Tom Webb Your view is as odious as it is ignorant. As long as this ugly, macho conservatism persists we will continue to be a sorry species.

Funny how the UN, in it's posh headquarters with all it's junkets and highly paid bureaucrats can push this kind of thing. Perhaps they would like to lead by example? Naw, I didn't think so.

Alan hit the nail on the head. Also, since bureaucrats create nothing but rules and taxes and yet consume real items such as food and housing one could make the arguement that bureaucracy contributes to inflation. Sack the lot and make them find productive employment.

All the money in the world given to the UN isn't going to make those poor countries be independent of the UN which should be the goal of the UN.

Without a doubt the UN have improved the lives of the poor countries, but the UN have perpetuated the poor countries in being dependent on the UN. The poor countries should have been elevated to be self-sufficient instead of relying on the UN for money which the UN have set a bad example. Therefore, these poor countries have stayed poor all through these decades. Is the UN doing far more damaged or good? The other part is the government of those poor countries must want to be prosper for everyone and not just for the rich to not be dependent on the UN.

The UN is not the answer to a country being out of poverty. China is a great example of a government wanting to be like the West. China embraced capitalism which is making the country prosper. When a country is prosper it trickles down from the top to the bottom. There will always the very rich and the poor no doubt. If a country gives people the opportunity to rise from the bottom to the top then that will only make the country better and greater.

UN calls for 'billionaires tax' to help world's poor

These organized usurpers/robbers/meddlers wearing the masks of benevolent "peacemakers" need to be unplugged.

@Tom Webb

Countries are like individuals, if you give a human being a handout, it's just for a day, but give a tool and know how, it's for a lifetime. So I hope our billionares leave the riches to heirs.

Isn't "leaving riches to heirs" a bit like, er, a "handout"?

Rich people get rich from being careful with their money and not falling into the traps of Governments. Govt traps are sufficient to kill the middle class salary and keep it in control which is the highest percentage of the population and the poor will always be poor. Middle class will mostly stay financially oppressed or become poor except for the few who work out that their current working methods will only lead to higher tax penalties. Bottom line is that the rich will always stay rich and will find LEGAL ways to avoid IMMORAL TAXES which the middle class end up paying and becoming poorer. Thus a billionaire tax will most definitely not affect them but in fact every one else, its the way it is.

Abolish the UN and give the money directly to poor individuals. That would do much for good for the world than channeling it through corrupt Socialist bureaucrats who are only interested in controlling the lives of others.

Isn't "leaving riches to heirs" a bit like, er, a "handout"?

No. It's natural for parents to provide for their children. All the rich liberals are giving their money to their children. They also give to charities of their choosing. They don't just write a big check to the central government like you think they would. They also take advantage of every tax loophole they can find to avoid paying extra taxes (see billionaire John Kerry and how he saved a ton of money on taxes for his yacht). I guess that just means Liberals are just selfish like everyone else...

@Wolfpack

I guess that just means Liberals are just selfish like everyone else..

No. They're selfish to the power 10. They're scum. The sooner a Christian-based, caring economy takes over the world ,the better. That day's coming, and when it does there are going to be some apologetic, sad little capitalist d*ckwads running around, trying to ingratiate themselves with someone they should have listened to a long time ago.

How about using the billionaire's tax to help cut the U.S. government debt?