Some 180 nongovernmental organizations from 42 countries have sent a letter to the leaders of G20 economies calling for the introduction of a so-called "Robin Hood tax," aimed at collecting money from rich nations to give to the poor.

Fox News reported Thursday that the NGOs stated in the letter that the tax would help meet the costs "of the global financial and economic crisis and achieve key development, health, education and climate change objectives in developing countries."

The idea behind the tax is to have a transaction fee of up to one percent charged on each stock transaction and to use the money to help developing nations.

Britain, France and Germany have been supporters of a bank tax for all G20 nations, but finance chiefs from the industrialized nations shot down the idea at a previous summit held in Toronto last summer.