Airline Tax To Fund Global Health Projects

by Mike Smith · 2009-09-18 09:01:00 UTC
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A tax on airline tickets will soon help fight HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis in Africa. We initially heard about the scheme earlier this year when Bill Clinton put his weight behind the plan. Now the scheme that'll ask for a voluntary contribution of $2 is all go, those behind it hope it will make up the expected shortfall in governmental aid.

Time report that Bill Clinton and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are backing the scheme which will be launched by British prime minister Gordon Brown and the head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, on Sept 23 as an aside to the U.N. General Assembly. It's hoped the money will help further reduce child mortality, which as we heard last week is heading in the right direction, but needs more resources in order to meet the Millenium goal of reducing it by two thirds.

There's no word of whether making people feel better about flying around the world, contributing few million tonnes of carbon to atmosphere, is a thing to encourage; but the millions it'll raise is certainly good news for the short term.

[Photo credit: rockcohen]

Mike Smith
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