The New Zealand government should support a tax on international airfares to combat AIDS and other diseases, says PrideAlliance, the LGBT network of the Alliance Party. PrideAlliance Spokesperson Kelly Buchanan says the scheme, put forward by France's President Jacques Chirac, is an excellent idea that would save countless lives, and a tax of just US$1 on international tickets would raise billions every year to combat disease in the third world, in particular the AIDS epidemic in Africa. "We're talking about just a fraction of a percent in cost increase to travellers, yet the positive impact would be enormous," she says. "Projects like this would do far more to combat terrorism than invading random oil-rich countries. We need to do much more to address the unnecessary suffering and inequality in the world." AIDS Foundation spokesman Steve Attwood says the proposal is “interesting...we always welcome ideas for increasing AIDS awareness and funding HIV education programmes. We'll await with interest to see if anyone takes this proposal further."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 3rd August 2005 - 12:00pm