Thursday, May 09, 2019

'Grand Theft Europe' - Tax fraudsters stealing millions from governments (VAT Carousel) 



All children like to irritate and disappoint their parents. It’s a way of growing up, of sharpening their teeth.” 
~Louis Auchlncloss, The House of the Prophet ... [read more]


Is News Corp’s attack on Shorten’s memory of his dead mother the cost of shunning Murdoch?

“What we saw was a new low from News Corp media in Australia, using someone’s dead mother to attack them on the front page of the News Ltd newspapers,” she said. “This is one of the dirtiest campaigns I have seen in my 20 years in parliament.
“I wonder if that’s got anything to with the fact that Rupert Murdoch and his companies paid little or no tax in Australia.
“It’s their [the Liberals’] cheer squad in the Murdoch media who are saying that Australia can’t afford to properly invest in hospitals and schools but we can afford to protect every tax loophole.”
In 2015, during a Senate corporate tax inquiry, the Australian Financial Review revealed that News was the only company in the tax office’s highest risk category, which left it open to what tax officials described as near-continuous audits.
Without identifying News, tax commissioner Chris Jordan told the inquiry: “Historically, this particular taxpayer has made it quite clear that they have not had an interest in being open with us and discussing any of their affairs with us prior to their doing transactions.”
In 2014 the AFR’s Neil Chenoweth reported that News had been successful in a case against the ATO over $2bn in deductions stemming from a shuffle between subsidiaries. The resulting tax credits cost the 2014 budget $882m and contributed to the deficit, he said.
He went on to suggest the tax office’s pursuit of News had been behind the breakdown in relations between Kevin Rudd’s government and News.

Google CEO takes side-swipe at Apple ‘selling privacy as a luxury good’ - 9to5Mac


'Grand Theft Europe' - reports tax fraudsters stealing millions from governments (VAT Carousel)  

Donald Trump doesn’t want anyone to see his tax returns. Not the public. Not Congress.
But at least one group has peered into the carefully guarded trove and could provide some insight — a team from Deutsche Bank.



California (2016)New York Times editorial, A Very Modern Waste of Tax Dollars:
When Californians place an online order with Best Buy, they pay the company and they pay a state sales tax. What the receipt doesn’t say is that Best Buy gets some of the sales tax, too.
California distributes a portion of sales tax revenue to local governments, based on the location of sales. In 2015, Best Buy agreed to keep a distribution warehouse in the small city of Dinuba, and to credit its online sales to that location. In exchange, Dinuba agreed to give Best Buy 45 percent of its share of the resulting sales tax revenue.
Companies including Apple, Macy’s and QVC have struck similar deals with other California municipalities, according to a recent investigation by Bloomberg News. A consultant to the League of California Cities estimates that corporations are now receiving more than $1 billion a year in such payouts — more than 20 percent of the total local share of sales tax revenue.



GOOD: This Nightclub for the Elderly Is Fighting Loneliness with Tea Party Raves. “We’re the only club event in the world where someone was rushed to the hospital because they forgot to take their drugs.”

Study: Rejection Causes Physical Pain


“Those who felt the most emotional distress also showed the most pain-related brain activity. In other words, being socially rejected triggered the same neural circuits that process physical injury, and translate it into the experience we call pain.” – Aeon







Suicide rates are rising with or without 13 Reasons Why. Let's use it as a chance to talk - The Conversation



I can’t stand when people say “do better.” It’s often “we can do better,” which is a given, but it usually means YOU, because the person telling US to do better obviously already does better, and wants the rest of us to conform. It’s so school-marmy, complete with pursed lips and a lemony expression.
Anyway, he’s free to come by the house and culturally stigmatize me.
Opinion Piece about Political Choices





Matt McGregor, via LinkedIn
On the surface, “follow your passion” seems like excellent advice; however, if we dig a little deeper, you will find it has no basis in reality to achieve the lifestyle you desire.