Welcome to the Simultaneous Policy (SP) proposal page. The measures you see outlined below are illustrative of the kinds of policies of which SP will likely consist when it is completed. For now, these measures are strictly provisional, a work-in-progress. They will evolve and expand as more people, from expert policymakers to grassroots activists, adopt SP and join in building our democratic, global policy package whose purpose is no less than to assure the success and sustainability of our common future. 

There are two other very good reasons why SP’s policy content remains provisional for now. 

Firstly, it’s clearly going to take some years for SP to be adopted by sufficient nations around the world. So if we fixed SP’s measures today, they’d likely be out of date by the time SP came to be implemented. 

Secondly, since new adopters are joining our ranks all the time, SP’s policy content must be developed in an ongoing, flexible, dynamic and democratic fashion and be capable of evolving right up to the point when implementation approaches. Only at that point need SP’s policy measures be fixed. 

So, the faster more people adopt SP, the sooner political parties and governments will have to do so too, and the earlier will come the time for implementation and finalising SP’s measures. See the diagram below to give you an idea of how SP’s adoption campaign and the process of the formulation of SP’s policy content interact with each other:

Below you will find an outline of the latest set of provisional measures to be included in SP. If you have other well worked-out policy proposals of a kind that need to be implemented simultaneously in all or most nations to avoid competitive disadvantage or adverse capital market reaction, please submit them here.

If you have further questions or concerns about the way SP’s policy content is to be established, please go our FAQ page.

At the present time, three groups of measures which would be implemented in three stages in all countries simultaneously over an estimated 10 to 15 year period. These measures could include, but not necessarily be restricted to the following:

1st Stage: Stabilisation Measures

Implementation Year 1

1.1: Reregulation of global financial markets and monetary reform.

Measures would be implemented with the objective of bringing about far greater financial stability. Such measures could include:

1.1.1 Monetary Reform which entails the restoration of the issuing of all new non-cash money (i.e., credit) to the State of each nation with appropriate safeguard provisions. This measure would remove this activity from the commercial banks who presently issue non-cash money as interest-bearing debt/loans. Instead, the State would spend it into the economy. For a more detailed policy proposal click here.

1.1.2 The Tobin Tax. 

This tax was first proposed by the Nobel Laureate economist, the late James Tobin, as a small tax on foreign currency transactions to deter the destabilising effects of currency speculation. The proceeds from such a tax would be distributed on an equitable basis to all nations and to fund the UN. In particular, proceeds would provide debt-free financial assistance to poorer countries. 

Although there are some who maintain that the Tobin Tax need not require many participating nations for it to be successfully implemented, this still remains a contentious issue. Clearly, if implementation can successfully proceed with only a few key nations participating that is preferable to implementation under SP. However, until and unless that theory is confirmed, there is, for now, no doubt that simultaneous implementation by all or virtually all nations under SP offers the prospect of a totally secure and effective implementation with no danger of any nation losing out. For more on the Tobin Tax, click here.

1.1.3 Abolition of tax havens.

Tax havens and other means of avoiding tax presently provide individuals and corporations with myriad means of avoiding their fiscal responsibilities. SP would include appropriate measures to prevent this kind of free-riding, whether by tax havens who, through competition, prevent governments from imposing adequate levels of tax, or by corporations or individuals who use tax havens to minimise their tax liabilities and thus deprive nations and their peoples of adequate tax revenues. 

Some of the proceeds raised from the Tobin Tax (see 1.1.2 above) could be used to compensate tax-haven countries over a limited period for the revenue they would lose as a result of the abolition of their tax haven status.

We await appropriate policy proposals from expert individuals or NGOs. For more on the problem of tax havens, click here. 

1.2: The complete cancellation of Third World debt.

The unrepayable debt mountain which increasingly confronts poor and developing countries must be cancelled. The insistence of lenders that poor countries continue to repay and service this debt places these countries in ever deeper poverty and misery. 

We await detailed policy proposals under which this can be achieved without adverse effects on the international competitiveness of any lending nation. Proposals from expert individuals or NGOs would be welcome.

For more on Third World debt, click here.

1.3: Abolition of party-political funding by any for-profit organisations.

To restore the independence and public accountability of politicians and political parties, measures would be implemented under SP to abolish corporate political funding of any kind, whether by business or other for-profit organizations. Instead, funding of political parties would be provided through public funds on a balanced and equitable basis. 

In principle, the abolition of private funding of political parties need not occur globally and simultaneously and need not therefore strictly form part of SP. Nevertheless, since the banning of corporate political funding as a single issue may not be strong enough on its own to mobilise adequate voter support, the more encompassing program of SP, together with its unique implementation strategy, may provide a more promising approach. 

We await suitable detailed policy proposals from expert individuals or NGOs.

In many cases, reductions of weapons of mass destruction cannot be divorced from reductions of conventional weapons. Together these comprise the overall defense/offense strategy of most nations and cannot therefore be separated from one another. 

SP would require the implementation of "Non-Offensive Defence" (NOD) by all nations. Appropriate verification and enforcement to be assured by an appropriate UN agency (as under 1.5.1 above). 

The vast savings in public expenditure which such abolitions and reductions of weapons would produce could, of course, be spent on providing free and improved health care and education and fund other vital improvements to public services or research into renewable energy sources.

For more on Non-Offensive Defence click here.

1.5.3 Establishment of Multinational UN Force

Once appropriate democratisation of the UN — and in particular of the UN Security Council — has taken place under other SP measures (see 3.1 below), a UN Multinational Force would be established to provide peace-keeping or armed intervention as democratically determined by global citizens.

We await appropriate policy proposals from expert individuals or NGOs.

1.6: A Global Tax on Fossil Fuels.

• Help reduce transport-related pollution and global warming.
• Reduce transport congestion.
• Conserve precious fossil fuel reserves.
• Encourage development, commercialization and utilization of cleaner renewable energy sources.
• Reduce the cost of locally produced goods compared to those coming from afar, thereby promoting local economies and local jobs all over the world (localisation).
• Raise significant tax revenue to fund poorer countries and/or to compensate oil-producing countries adversely affected by such a tax.
• Reduce pollution-related health problems and the consequent burden on public health provision. 

2nd Stage: Further Measures

Implementation Years 2–15

2.1: Measures to provide the necessary public accountability and responsible behaviour of major institutions and corporations.

Under SP, all necessary measures to ensure corporate social and environmental responsibility can be enforced. Because of simultaneous international implementation it will no longer be possible for corporations to evade regulation by moving their operations from strict regulatory constituencies to permissive ones.

Measures in this category would bring all corporations everywhere up to the highest current national standards.Funds from global taxes (such as the Tobin Tax) would be used to help poorer, developing countries meet these higher standards without losing their economic competitiveness. In ensuing years, global standards could continue to be raised, step-by-step.

We await suitable detailed policy proposals from expert individuals or NGOs.

2.2: A tax on turnover or a cap on the maximum permitted size of corporations.

A properly functioning market economy depends on healthy competition between a minimum number ofmarket players. If corporations in a given market are permitted to consolidate below that number, healthy competition ceases and becomes its very opposite: a monopoly or cartel. SP will include measures to prohibit corporate consolidation below this minimum number.

In virtually all economies, small and medium-sized businesses — not global corporations — employ by far the most people. Small businesses also perform an important social role in their local communities. To deter excessive corporate size and the undue pressure that large corporations can exert on smaller suppliers, SP will progressively tax corporations whose sales exceed globally established maximum levels. The revenues raised will be distributed on an equitable basis to poorer countries and communities and willhelp fund the start-up of small-scale co-operative or employee-owned business ventures around the world.

We await suitable detailed policy proposals from expert individuals or NGOs.

3rd Stage: Institutional Measures for our Common Global Future

Please make your own suggestions for SP policies by clicking below:

 

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