When Worlds Collide: Forging Connections through Policy

A shocking incident occurred off the coast of Cuba at the start of the year, throwing into sharp relief the disparity in people’s circumstances around the world. The luxury cruise liner Celebrity Beyond, with thousands of affluent passengers aboard celebrating the New Year, encountered a makeshift boat carrying nineteen people attempting to cross the Straits of Florida into the United States. The refugees were thankfully rescued from that dire situation, but how many similar unknown travelers have met their end in search of new beginnings?

In many ways, this incident is a perfect metaphor for the divide in access to mobility. For some, the ability to travel freely around the world is a given. For others, it is an unattainable dream. Global citizenship is underpinned by the philosophy that barriers to mobility hurt us all. Through a progressive approach to citizenship and residency policy, we can empower those striving to unshackle their potential. Through the cooperation that this fosters, we can then unlock the innovation that is essential to building a brighter future for humanity.

Thrown together by circumstance, in this instance, the wealthy were confronted with a life completely alien to their own. This coming together of the privileged with the disadvantaged is far too rare an occurrence, leading to those who face the most hardship fading into the background. Aligning these two worlds more closely would go some way to creating greater empathy for those in distress around the world. The question, then, is how can this be done? How can more permanent connections between the haves and have-nots be fostered in a way that can contribute to solving the world’s most pressing issues? What if we could use some of the wealth invested by those seeking secondary residence and citizenship to address this problem?

Our idea of a Global Citizen Tax is one route through which these connections can be forged in a mutually beneficial way. There is a high demand from foreign investors for residence and citizenship programs in many countries that attract refugees seeking sanctuary. In Europe alone, billions of euros in capital are invested annually in countries such as Spain, Malta, and Portugal. Arton Capital is calling for a tax to be levied on those investing in these programs. Through a charge of as little as 1-5% on initial investments, swathes of capital can be efficiently raised to target systemic challenges such as global refugee crises.

The journey towards the implementation of a Global Citizen Tax began in 2015 when we discussed the plan with former UN Secretary-General, the late Kofi Annan as well as former President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. Their endorsement of the tax helped secure its recommendation by the European Parliament for implementation. As of today, the European Commission is actively considering ways to implement the tax. This is a significant step in the right direction.

A Global Citizen Tax would provide an opportunity to build a truly innovative public-private initiative. The tax would simultaneously grow funds to tackle key issues whilst showcasing that residency and citizenship schemes can be a force for good. It would provide a chance for those who directly benefit from these schemes to commit to giving back in a meaningful way. Placing the burden on those with the broadest shoulders is fair and proportionate. Such a tax would ensure that funding for solutions to refugee crises can be sustained amidst the slowdown of the global economy and the tightening of government budgets across wealthy nations.

This is not a fringe idea but a global movement coalescing around implementing meaningful action. At last year’s COP 27, amongst the most significant announcements was the resolution to build a $100 billion fund to counter climate change. Finding multiple revenue streams, such as the Global Citizen Tax, to fund initiatives such as this is now a worldwide priority.

The people on that boat were in some ways lucky: many refugees die every year on the treacherous journeys they are forced to undertake. Initiatives like the Global Citizen Tax are a real chance to consign these dangerous passageways to the past, and to make sure that refugees are afforded the resources to travel legally, safely, and expediently to claim sanctuary. If we do not act in a timely and scalable manner, this crisis will only deepen and solutions will move even further out of reach. For many refugees, it is already too late.

Read more on armandarton.com