Compiled by CAROLINE MADDEN

The question: Is the 'Robin Hood' tax plan a runner?

Among the Franco-German proposals to quell investor fears over the euro zone sovereign debt crisis is the idea of introducing a tax on financial transactions. Not surprisingly it is being dubbed a “Robin Hood” tax in some quarters. A joint proposal is expected to be tabled by French and German finance ministers at EU level in September, but so far it has received a chilly reception from markets, with financial stocks hit hard after the plan was unveiled.

Even if such a “Tobin tax”, named after the economist who first proposed it in the 1970s, was levied across all 27 EU states, rather than limited to the euro zone, financial services bodies insist it would cause more damage than good (well they would, wouldn’t they?). The nay-sayers predict that far from strengthening the European project, it will undermine the region’s competitiveness by driving transactions out of Europe to offshore locations, and warn that the only way this will work is if it introduced on a global basis.

Swiss haven

The Swiss franc has become a victim of its own safe haven status of late, with jittery investors driving it up to record levels. There are early signs, though, that the Swiss National Bank’s battle to stem the currency’s strength is starting to work, with the franc beginning to ease against the dollar and the euro.

Status update

James Patterson:Forget about JK. The prolific Patterson has been crowned by Forbes as the world's highest paid author, having earned $84 million between May 2010 and April 2011.

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Robbie Keane: Another dream has come true for the 31-year-old Tallaght-fornian player, who's heading stateside to bend it like Beckham with LA Galaxy in a €4 million deal.

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