France, Alternative Libertaire AL #228 - Cyprus: Taking the poor to give to the banks (fr)

After Greece and Ireland, it is the turn of Cyprus to pass under the yoke of the Troika
(European Union, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund). But the plan to 
"rescue" made headlines by considering a moment to tap directly into the deposits of 
Cypriot banks to recapitalize. ---- Cyprus is (was?) A tax haven where Russian mafia, but 
also staunch capitalists come launder money. The result is a bloated banking sector, 
representing eight times the country's GDP. And risk multiplied in case of problems - for 
example, the current financial crisis ... The Europeans pretended to discover with 
surprise that Cyprus was a tax haven, and it was used to justify in June 2012, the 
conditions for the first loan , contracted with the IMF and the European Union to bail out 
banks to the brink of bankruptcy.

Since Cyprus is a haven for mafia, is it not legitimate to get the money in accounts in
banks in the country? In exchange for a plan to recapitalize banks 10 billion euros, 5.8 
billion euros should thus be taken on deposits. " German taxpayers do not have to pay for 
Russian oligarchs , "said Angela Merkel. The existence of tax havens prevents little 
sleep European leaders to the point of having their own use, as shown by the recent 
example of Jerome Cahuzac and his Swiss bank account. But out of the question that it 
costs them a dime when the system collapses.

The first project involved 18 March a levy on deposits 6.75% below 100,000 euros and 9.9% 
thereafter. The absurdity vies with cynicism in the guise of taxing the Russian mafia, why 
not get a few million on the back of the employee-es and retirees Cypriot?

Technocratic cynicism and popular mobilization

Certainly they and they have benefited little from the tax haven status of their country, 
but in these times of crisis, the sacrifices they not be shared, as repeatedly stated by 
European leaders? Cypriots do not they call on their part, to pay for "Russian oligarchs"?

Faced with such cynicism, events involving thousands of people have grown on the island
and on 25 March, a new plan was abandoned collect accounts of less than ? 100,000. Thus, 
the banking part of the plan to "rescue" will not impose any levy on workers and small 
workers. Incidentally, the European banks operating on the island (such as BNP Paribas,
Societe Generale and Deutsche Bank), will also be spared: there is still no need for banks 
dominant European countries paradise (fiscal) turns into hell.

But do not worry, the people still pay for the banks: the plan imposed by the Troika has, 
as always, a lot of privatization, cuts in social benefits and wages of civil servants.

Vincent (AL Paris-Sud)