Post date: Sep 24, 2012 10:10:14 PM
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 24, 2012) (CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday (September 24) that the world's rich should pay more taxes.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls on wealthy people around the world to pay more taxes and contribute more to help countries develop at the Clinton Global Initiative summit.
Clinton spoke on the second day of the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) summit in New York.
"One of the issues I have been preaching about around the world is collecting taxes in an equitable manner, especially from the elites in every country. You know I'm out of American politics but it's a fact that around the world the elites are making money. There are rich people everywhere and yet they do not contribute to the growth of their own countries. They don't invest in public schools and public hospitals in other kinds of development internally," she said.
Clinton said the key to successful development is strategic investment in developing countries. She also said that development would be furthered by global leaders coming together to combat extremism.
She reference the death of Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi. Stevens was deeply involved in the transition of the North African state and had been U.S. envoy to the rebels who overthrew strongman Muammar Gaddafi last year.
"The people of the Arab world did not set out to trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob. There is no dignity in that. The people of Benghazi sent that message loudly and clearly when they forcefully rejected the extremist in their midst and reclaimed the honor and dignity of a courageous city.
They mourned the loss of ambassador Chris Stevens, a friend and champion of a free Libya and his fallen comrades. They are not alone...All of us need to stand together, to resist these forces and to support democratic transitions underway in North Africa and the Middle East," Clinton said.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are scheduled to speak at Bill Clinton's summit on Tuesday (September 25).
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Libya's de facto head of state, Mohammed Magarief, are all expected to attend CGI. The forum will be held as world leaders gather for the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
In keeping with this year's theme, "Designing for Impact," participants will discuss ways to provide safe and reliable energy, boost sustainable tourism, promote a greater role for women in society, and guarantee access to food in the face of extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change.
Since the initiative began, more than 2,000 pledges have been made, valued at more than $69 billion (USD), and they have improved the lives of more than 400 million people in 180 countries.