The Coming of the Universal Financial Transaction Tax

``In the clearest indication yet, a high French government official confirmed last week that an FTT -- Financial Transaction Tax -- will be implemented by the European Union by the end of 2012, a year earlier than planned. Jean Leonetti (left), France's Minister for European Affairs, said on television that "This is on the program for the next European summit [on January 30]. [French President] Nicolas Sarkozy and [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel have decided on this and it will be put in place before the end of 2012."''