$300M tax on air fares for HIV/AIDS drugs

Five countries have agreed to implement a French government plan to tax airfares in order to raise funds for HIV/AIDS drugs, as well as treatment for tuberculosis and malaria, in the developing world.

The proposal, the brainchild of France's President Jacques Chirac, is also supported by Brazil, Chile, Norway and the UK. Funds will be channelled via Unitaid, a new Geneva, Switzerland-based organization. The target is to provide treatment for 100,000 AIDS sufferers, 100,000 with antiretroviral drug-resistant AIDS, 150,000 infected with TB and 28 million malaria victims, all of them children. Unitaid intends to use its purchasing power to negotiate favorable prices for the appropriate drugs.

Of the Unitaid budget of $300.0 million for the coming year, France is providing $250.0 million and the UK a further $25.0 million. A tax of 4 euros ($5.07) per international economy passenger and 40 euros per first class passenger are being levied already in France.