Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and for Citizens' Action

thumb|Countries or jurisdictions that have ATTAC branches

thumb|French ATTAC members protest during the [[27th G8 summit in Genoa, Italy, 2001]]

thumb|An ATTAC poster in the French countryside, 2004

thumb|An ATTAC [[banner in front of Cologne Cathedral, Germany, 2004]]

thumb|French ATTAC members protesting privatisation and the "dismantling" of public services, 2005

thumb|An ATTAC stall at the Volksstimmefest, [[Vienna, Austria, 2005 (details)]]

The Association pour la Taxation des Transactions financières et pour l'Action Citoyenne (Association for the Taxation of financial Transactions and Citizens' Action, ATTAC) is an activist organisation originally created to promote the establishment of a tax on foreign exchange transactions.

Background

Originally called "Action for a Tobin Tax to Assist the Citizen", ATTAC was a single-issue movement demanding the introduction of the so-called Tobin tax on currency speculation. ATTAC has enlarged its scope to a wide range of issues related to globalisation, and monitoring the decisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD,) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). ATTAC representatives attend the meetings of the G8 with the goal of influencing policymakers' decisions. In 2007, ATTAC spokesmen criticised Germany for what it called the criminalisation of anti-G8 groups.

At the founding, ATTAC had specific statutory objectives based on the promotion of the Tobin tax. For example, ATTAC Luxembourg specifies in article 1 of its statutes that it:

<blockquote>...aims to produce and communicate information, and to promote and carry out activities of all kinds for the recapture, by the citizens, of the power that the financial sector has on all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life throughout the world. Such means include the taxation of transactions in foreign exchange markets (Tobin tax).</blockquote>

ATTAC refutes claims that it is an anti-globalisation movement, but it criticises the neoliberal ideology that it sees as dominating economic globalisation. It supports those globalisation policies that their representatives characterise as sustainable and socially just.

Organisational history

In December 1997, Ignacio Ramonet wrote an editorial In France, politicians from the left are members of the association. In Luxembourg, Francois Bausch of the left Green party is the founding politician in the association's initial member list.

Sweden

Researcher Malin Gawell covers the birth and development of Attac Sweden in her doctoral thesis on activist entrepreneurship. She suggests that Attac in Sweden was formed by people seeking a new way of organising with flat hierarchy, and with the strongly sensed need of making a change as the driving force.

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From another perspective, Sydsvenskan newspaper suggested that the downturn of memberships in Swedish Attac after the hype in the beginning of 2001 may be due to its views on trade policies.

Issues and activities

The main issues covered by ATTAC today are:

Control of financial markets (e.g., Tobin tax)
"Fair" instead of "free" trade, via democratic control of the World Trade Organization and international financial institutions such the International Monetary Fund, Worldbank, European Union, North American Free Trade Agreement, Free Trade Area of the Americas, and G8.
Defense of public goods - air, water, information
Defense of public social services - like those relevant to health, social services, and social security. For example, it is against the privatisation of pensions and of the health care system. ATTAC has also taken a position on genetically modified organisms. ATTAC also opposes General Agreement on Trade in Services.
The struggle to end tax evasion (tax havens) as practiced by transnational corporations and rich individuals
Sustainable globalisation
Cancellation of the debt of Developing Countries.
ATTAC campaigned against the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
ATTAC is involved in fighting against climate change, for environmental justice and, especially, in supporting Alternatiba, Village of Alternatives.

In France, ATTAC associates with many other left-wing causes.

Nestlégate

In 2008, the Swiss multinational food and beverage company Nestlé was hit by a scandal which was later called Nestlégate by the media. Between the years 2003 and 2005, Nestlé hired the external Security company Securitas AG to spy on the Swiss branch of Attac. Nestlé started the monitoring when Attac Switzerland decided to work on a critical book about Nestlé.

In response to the Nestlégate, Attac Switzerland filed a lawsuit against Nestlé. The lawsuit was decided in favour of Attac in January 2013, as the personal rights of the observed were violated. They received a compensation for damages of 3000 Swiss francs each (about 3230 USD at the date of the proclamation of sentence).

References

External links

ATTAC official web site
"Disarming the Markets", editorial by Ignacio Ramonet