The National AIDS Council for a tax on financial transactions

AFP - The National AIDS Council (NSC) considers "appropriate" to implement a tax on financial transactions and to develop other innovative financing to "halt the momentum of the epidemic "of AIDS through expanded access to testing and treatment.

Otherwise, "the fight against HIV / AIDS will be permanently compromised," said the independent advisory body in a notice published on the eve of the G20, which included in its agenda the issue of innovative financing. For the CNS, the proposed tax on financial transactions "is a real opportunity for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities". The Council, chaired by Professor Willy Rosenbaum, said that the UN had promised in 2005, universal access to antiretroviral treatment for late 2010. If they fail to be reached, it undertook in 2011 that 15 million people are on treatment by 2015.

According to the latest figures from UNAIDS, covering the year 2009, more than 33 million people worldwide living with HIV, including nearly 6 million receive treatment. The low-infected do not need it, but 10 million people eligible for treatment do not receive it. However, "the setting for the treatment of infected people can reduce very significantly the risk of HIV transmission," involving "a consequence of lower number of new infections in a relatively short time," recalls the CNS. He noted that after an increase in "unprecedented" in disposable income between 2000 and 2008, the investments made "have been declining since 2009." $ 15.9 billion in 2009, they would have up to 28 to 50 billion dollars a year to achieve the 2015 targets.

In addition to the tax on financial transactions, the NSC emphasizes the need to mobilize official development assistance, lower in France in the ratio of 0.7% GNI by 2015 what it had promised. He also advocated innovative financing diversified, such as taxes and public / private partnerships. The NSC also points out that increased patent protection has limited competition and therefore "the expected fall" the price of treatments. He considers "essential" to repeal the provisions contained in bilateral agreements that limit the exemptions to allow poor countries to benefit from access to medicines. Thus, some proposals in the current negotiations between India and the EU would complicate access to generic medicines for poor countries.

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