I've been expecting some leaders in the EU to try and break the deadlock with the UK by suggesting adoption of the British stamp duty tax model throughout the EU, rather than FTT, which has hit a wall. But, I dared not mention it, as I didnât want to advance the idea.
This can go different ways. Germany can call it âUK-style stamp dutyâ, but expand on it so it's really more like FTT in disguise. In my view, they've been confused by the difference between stamp duty and FTT all along, or at least they made confusing statements and helped the media pass along the confusion.
Most people still don't understand that stamp duty falls on retail investors and traders, and it exempts liquidity providers, market makers and banks. Maybe, the EU finally realized that FTT would destroy liquidity providers with the cascading effect and rapid turnover in money market accounts, and itâs impossible when you wake up to the probable carnage of FTT. So, they are now falling back on stamp duty anyway, as they need something to take the political-place of FTT. To scrap it entirely now would make them look foolish.
The U.S. wonât pass stamp duty as the burden falls on investors, and pensions, just what Secretary Geithner and President Obama didnât like most about FTT.
German Vice Chancellor Philipp Rosler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Rösler is making a clever political and practical move here. He is in the FDP party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Democratic_Party_(Germany). Itâs his counter move to Merkel and CDU officials trying to very recently berate the 2%-poll FDP junior-coalition partner of Merkelâs CDU.
This move might force the UK back to the negotiating table and also diffuse Merkel and her FTT full-court press.
Now, what about the issue of who keeps UK stamp duty revenues? Germany might be okay with the UK keeping their stamp duty revenues. Germany may want to keep their own stamp duty revenues too and not share them with Greece. Later on, perhaps the euro zone can pool stamp duty and the UK can still keep theirs. Thatâs down the road.
Letâs first see if this stamp duty trial balloon can break Merkelâs death-grip on FTT.
After FTT is killed off hopefully, we can tackle stamp duty as a bad idea too, as it falls on Main Street investors, just as Obama said at the G-20. Why raise taxes on Main Street during a recession, when your rhetoric is focused on banks?