Orgs oppose ‘globotaxes,’ give Bolton recess appt

The Center for Security Policy today released an open letter to President Bush commending him for his nomination of John R. Bolton to become the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – and urging a recess appointment be made to ensure Mr. Bolton is in place before the UN tries in September to impose international taxes on American citizens.

 

The letter states, in part:

In our judgment the Nation can ill-afford further delay of action on the BoltonGiven the momentous nature of that agenda – and the danger that some of its items may pose for American interests and sovereignty – we urge you to ensure that you are represented in New York at the earliest possible time by a man who enjoys your confidence and trust, and ours. nomination. As you know, the United Nations has a very full agenda this Fall.

 

Of particular concern is the prospect that the upcoming high-level plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly from September 14-16 will be used to implement various ideas for international taxes. As you know, such proposals are not new. In fact, these initiatives have long been seen as a means of underwriting world government, or at least diminishing this country’s ability to influence the United Nations by dint of its granting (or withholding) of large sums in annual dues.

 

What is new, however, is that some believe the United States now must agree to the imposition of one form or another of global taxation….We are sure that you share our unalterable opposition to the imposition of international taxes on American citizens and entities by unelected, unaccountable international bureaucrats. As things stand now, however, our only hope of avoiding such ominously precedential "solidarity contributions" – whether they be imposed on airline tickets, currency transactions, international commerce or the internet – is for your view to be faithfully, articulately and effectively represented at the UN. (Emphasis added throughout.)

 

 

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., President of the Center for Security Policy, which circulated the open letter, said upon its release: "The Bush Administration is on notice: Millions of Americans represented by the forty-one signatories of this letter will not support the imposition of ‘globotaxes’ on them and their countrymen. It is time to draw a firm line against what the UN euphemistically calls ‘innovative funding mechanisms’ and John Bolton is the man to do it on the East River."

The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday unanimously adopted an amendment offered by Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) opposing globotaxes. It would require, among other things, that:

United States representatives at the United Nations shall (1) use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to vigorously oppose any effort by the United Nations or any of its specialized or affiliated agencies to fund, approve, advocate, or promote any proposal concerning the imposition of a tax or fee on any United States person in order to raise revenue for the United Nations or any such agency; and (2) declare that a United States person shall not be subject to any international tax and shall not be required to pay such tax if such tax is levied against such person.

 

For more information about the UN’s plans for international taxation – and the negative repercussions such globotaxes would have for American sovereignty, security and interests, see Smoking Gun: Shocking Truth Uncovered About U.N. Taxation Plan; U.S. Citizens Targeted for Trillions of Dollars by the International Bureaucrats and Insider-Trader George Soros, a newly released study by America’s Survival, Inc. (www.usasurvival.org).

 

Among the signatories and organizations represented on the open letter to President Bush are the following: David A. Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union; Paul M. Weyrich, National Chairman, Coalitions for America; Gary L. Bauer, President, American Values; Fred L. Smith, Jr., Founder and President, Competitive Enterprise Institute; Colin A. Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring, Inc.; Phyllis Schlafly, Founder and President, Eagle Forum; Mariam Bell, National Director of Public Policy, The Wilberforce Forum; Tom Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste; Alan Keyes, Chairman, Declaration Alliance; Melanie Morgan, Chairman, Move America Forward; Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman, American Family Association; and Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform.

July 21, 2005

Hon. George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

 

Dear Mr. President:

 

We write to thank you for selecting John R. Bolton to become the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Like you, we are appalled at the delay in getting Mr. Bolton on the job, and share your displeasure with the mistreatment of this outstanding public servant by partisan critics of your Administration and its policies.

 

In our judgment the Nation can ill-afford further delay of action on the Bolton nomination. As you know, the United Nations has a very full agenda this Fall. Given the momentous nature of that agenda – and the danger that some of its items may pose for American interests and sovereignty – we urge you to ensure that you are represented in New York at the earliest possible time by a man who enjoys your confidence and trust, and ours.

 

Of particular concern is the prospect that the upcoming high-level plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly from September 14-16 will be used to implement various ideas for international taxes. As you know, such proposals are not new. In fact, these initiatives have long been seen as a means of underwriting world government, or at least diminishing this country’s ability to influence the United Nations by dint of its granting (or withholding) of large sums in annual dues.

 

What is new, however, is that some believe the United States now must agree to the imposition of one form or another of global taxation. They contend that, pursuant to agreed Millennium Development Goals contained in the Report of the International Conference on Financing for Development (dubbed the "the Monterrey Consensus"), the United States and other developed nations are obliged to provide 0.7 percent of their gross national income in foreign aid (also known as Official Development Assistance or ODA).

 

According to Kofi Annan’s special advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the United States has only provided 0.15 percent and, therefore, would be short by some $65 billion each year from 2002 to the target year of 2015. The aggregate shortfall would amount to $845 billion above and beyond what the U.S. provides in ODA – a sum neither any President nor any Congress is likely to approve.

 

Hence, we are told, there is a need for "innovative funding mechanisms" (a euphemism for international taxes) such as "solidarity contributions on international plane tickets." On February 6, 2005, France, Germany, Chile, Brazil, Algeria and Spain formally issued a "Berlin Declaration" that proposed to use such involuntary "contributions" to raise revenues to "combat hunger and poverty and finance global sustainable development, inter alia health programs including the fight against HIV/AIDS and other pandemics." Other schemes include the so-called "Tobin Tax" on international currency transactions that could raise an estimated $13 trillion for the United Nations and other international purposes.

 

Unfortunately, international tax proposals have now made their way little-noticed into Annex II of the Gleneagles G-8 meeting communiqu?, a section entitled "Financing Commitments." It states, in part, that: "A group of countries above [evidently a reference to the UK, France, Germany and Italy] firmly believe that innovative financing mechanisms can help deliver and bring forward the financing needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals" – namely, more Overseas Development Assistance.

 

We are sure that you share our unalterable opposition to the imposition of international taxes on American citizens and entities by unelected, unaccountable international bureaucrats. As things stand now, however, our only hope of avoiding such ominously precedential "solidarity contributions" – whether they be imposed on airline tickets, currency transactions, international commerce or the internet – is for your view to be faithfully, articulately and effectively represented at the UN.

 

For these reasons among many others (including the opportunity to secure systemic UN reform, the need to get to the bottom of the Oil-for-Food scandal, etc.), we call upon you, if possible, to reach prompt agreement with the bipartisan Senate leadership to enable a final vote on John Bolton’s nomination before the August recess. Failing that, we respectfully urge that you enable Mr. Bolton to get to work at long last by conferring on him a recess appointment as soon as Congress adjourns next month.

 

Sincerely,

 

David A. Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union

Paul M. Weyrich, National Chairman, Coalitions for America

Gary L. Bauer, President, American Values

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., President, Center for Security Policy

Fred L. Smith, Jr., Founder and President, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Colin A. Hanna, President, Let Freedom Ring, Inc.

Phyllis Schlafly, Founder and President, Eagle Forum

Mariam Bell, National Director of Public Policy, The Wilberforce Forum

Tom Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Alan Keyes, Chairman, Declaration Alliance

Melanie Morgan, Chairman, Move America Forward

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman, American Family Association

William J. Murray, Chairman, Religious Freedom Coalition

Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform

Ron Shuping, Senior Vice President of Programming, The Inspiration Networks

Jim Backlin, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Christian Coalition of America

William Greene, President, RightMarch.com

Andrea Lafferty, Executive Director, Traditional Values Coalition

Beverly LaHaye, Founder and Chairman, Concerned Women of America

William Levi, CEO and President, Operation Nehemiah Missions International

Richard Falknor, Executive Vice President, Maryland Taxpayers Association, Inc.

Chuck Muth, President, Citizen Outreach

Robert B. Carleson, Chairman, American Civil Rights Union

Paul Caprio, President, Family-PAC Federal

Stephen Stone, President, Renew America

Cliff Kincaid, President, America’s Survival. Inc.

Kay Daly, President, Coalition for a Fair Judiciary

Rev. Russell Johnson, Chairman, Ohio Restoration Project

Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, Chairman, Traditional Values Coalition

Steven Mosher, President, Population Research Institute

John J. Karch, Executive Director, Slovak League of America

C. Preston Noell III, President, Tradition, Family, Property Inc.

Tom Shields, Chairman, Coalition for Marriage and Family

Bruce Chapman, President, Discovery Institute

Nancy C. Purcell, Field Representative, Global Bridges

George Landrith, President, Frontiers of Freedom

Ann Buwalda, Esq, Director, Jubilee Campaign USA

Kristin Wright, Executive Director, Stand Today

Ron Pearson, President, Council for America

Jeff Gayner, Chairman, Americans for Sovereignty

Erping Zhang, Executive Director, Association for Asian Research

Deborah Weiss, Blogsforbush.com; GOPbloggers.com