New airline tax for health care to poor countries

Nineteen states including include Brazil, Britain, Chile, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Cyprus, France, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Norway and South Korea are committed to levying a tax on airline tickets as part of a new way to treat people in poor countries for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria under a program called UNITAID which brings together countries, U.N. agencies, international organizations and others to tackle some of the world’s worst diseases. UNITAID plans initially to spend €50 million (US$63 million) this year and about €300 million next year to give 100,000 children access to anti-retroviral treatment and 150,000 children treatment against tuberculosis.Further details here.

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