Taxation of the Global Arms Trade? An Overview of the Issues

A number of proposals for a tax on the international trade with weapons have been made during the last 25 years, most recently prior to the G-8 summit in Lyon, France, in June 2003. Originally, the major objectives were both to reduce the level of trade in arms and raise money for purposes such as development and disarmament. Later proposals included the compensation of victims of the use of specific types of weapons. Various objections have been raised against the suggestions for an international arms trade tax. Major points include the difficulties of achieving sufficient levels of compliance, tax evasion through increases in domestic production and a stimulation of the illicit trade in arms. There are also fundamental objections against demeritorizing arms transfers only, and not also domestic production of arms. In order for an international arms trade tax to work, the level of transparency in the international arms trade would need to increase. A major part of the tax burden would be borne by buyers of arms, who are predominantly developing countries. However, these are currently also major beneficiaries of large-scale subsidies on arms exports. An international arms trade tax will lead, using available estimates of price elasticities, to an increase in expenditures on arms import. Transfers from a fund fed by an arms trade tax should be spent in those countries which substantially reduce their spending on arms imports. In general, an arms trade tax makes more sense as a measure for disarmament than as a measure for development