Monday, December 18, 2017

Film review: The Spider's Web – Britain's Second Empire


It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen.

— George MacDonald, born in 1824



Tax return blues: in a Kafkaesque world with the ATO - The Australian





 
Panama Papers Inquiry Committee: European governments assisted in aggressive tax competition. European Parliament demands U-turn in the fight against tax dumping and money laundering 



Bruce Brown, Documentary Filmmaker Who Directed ‘Endless Summer’, Dead At 80…

The public choice economics of Star Wars (a Straussian reading)
After a muddled start, it is really quite good, unlike VII more than worthy as an installment in the series.  I like the color red.  I enjoyed seeing a Star Wars version of a puffin.  The performances are much better than in VII.
With Billions at Stake in Tax Debate, Lobbyists Played Hardball New York Times. Resilc flags the money quote:

In all, more than half of the 11,000 registered lobbyists in Washington reported working on tax-related issues through the first nine months of the year, according to a report released this month by the nonprofit group Public Citizen.



The Advisors Who Help The IRS Value Art


To be accurately taxed, an artwork needs to be accurately valued, and the owner who has to pay the tax can’t be expected to provide the last word. When an artwork is sold outright, the Internal Revenue Service needs no help in determining how much to tax; it has the purchase price and the sale price and it knows how to subtract. (The maximum federal tax rate on profits from the sale of art and collectibles is 28 percent, higher than the 15 to 20 percent for stocks.) Things get trickier, however, when an artwork passes to an heir or is given to a museum. The agency still needs to know, as of the date of death or donation, how much the art is worth, but without a current sale price that figure can be debatable. … [Read More]






  • The government's latest cure for financial economic crime is another placebo
      (11 Dec 2017)


  • Film review: The Spider's Web – Britain's Second Empire
    (11 Dec 2017)


  • Jeremy Corbyn slams tax dodging in British territories in UN speech
      (11 Dec 2017)


  • Meat tax 'inevitable' to beat climate and health crises, says report  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Michelle Mone's partner moves his tax avoidance business to Panama    (11 Dec 2017)
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  • UK to crack down on City of London money laundering  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Amber Rudd announces new national economic crime centre for UK  (11 Dec 2017)


  • HSBC prosecution threat over US money laundering lifted  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Henry A. Giroux on Developing a Language of Liberation for Radical Transformation
      (11 Dec 2017)


  • HMRC: UK GAAR Advisory Panel shuts down 'contrived' trust interest scheme  (11 Dec 2017)


  • HMRC Paper: Tackling the hidden economy: public sector licensing  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Kansas's ravaged economy a cautionary tale as Trump plans huge tax cuts for rich
      (11 Dec 2017)


  • Invest in workers, not tax cuts, to boost US productivity  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Big business tax avoiders: Is it time for the fiscal guillotine?  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Wall Street lobbies against measure hitting high-tax states  (11 Dec 2017)


  • Australia: Greens single out 13 companies that paid no tax yet donated to major parties
    (11 Dec 2017)


  • The Apple 'Windfall' That Isn't  (11 Dec 2017)