NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
ISDA Comments on EC’s Proposal for a Financial Transaction Tax
NEW YORK, Thursday, September 29, 2011 – The International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) today commented on the European Commission’s proposal for a financial transaction tax (FTT) in the 27 Member States of the European Union.
ISDA believes that an FTT would be harmful to the financial sector and corporates alike. The derivatives industry provides important risk management tools helping to achieve growth in the economy. It serves a variety of large, medium and small corporations and entities, which use derivatives products to manage interest rate, currency, credit and counterparty risks. ISDA is concerned that the FTT will ultimately increase the costs of hedging those risks. We believe that managing such risks is essential for the long-term economic growth and recovery of European economies.
In addition, introducing new taxes on the financial sector also risks reducing the capital base of financial institutions at a time when regulators are demanding higher capital buffers. If the additional cost is simply passed on to customers, this would act as a barrier to accessing the financial markets, as well as restricting liquidity (and therefore increasing volatility) in those markets.
For More Information, Please Contact:
Lauren Dobbs, ISDA New York, +1 212 901 6019, ldobbs@isda.org
Rose Millburn, ISDA London, +44 203 088 3526, rmillburn@isda.org
Donna Chan, ISDA Hong Kong, +852 2200 5906, dchan@isda.org
About ISDA
Since 1985, ISDA has worked to make the global over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets safer and more efficient. Today, ISDA is one of the world’s largest global financial trade associations, with over 825 member institutions from 57 countries on six continents. These members include a broad range of OTC derivatives market participants: global, international and regional banks, asset managers, energy and commodities firms, government and supranational entities, insurers and diversified financial institutions, corporations, law firms, exchanges, clearinghouses and other service providers. Information about ISDA and its activities is available on the Association’s web site: www.isda.org.
ISDA® is a registered trademark of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.
Documents (1) for ISDA Comments on EC’s Proposal for a Financial Transaction Tax
Latest
DRR Expanded to Cover Hong Kong's Revised Rules
ISDA has expanded its Digital Regulatory Reporting (DRR) solution to support revised derivatives reporting rules in Hong Kong, enabling in-scope firms to implement the changes cost-effectively and accurately. The amendments from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Securities...
Joint Letter on Simplification of EU Taxonomy
On October 6, ISDA, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), the European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB) and the European Banking Federation (EBF) published a policy statement in support of...
Paper on Removal of SI Regime
On October 10, ISDA, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) and the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) published a paper on the practical implications of the recent discontinuation of the systematic internalizer (SI) regime for derivatives, bonds and...
ISDA Analysis to ESMA on Reporting Costs
ISDA has submitted to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) an analysis of the costs of regulatory reporting, which proposes where savings can be made most effectively. This document supplements the recent response submitted by ISDA, the Association for...