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'Everybody's going to lose'
Former Treasury secretary Ken Henry bemoans the lack of reform in the decade since his tax review, warning Australia's economy could remain mired in weakness without major change.
RIP: Caroll Spinney, Puppeteer Behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Dies at 85.
Financial Times Best Books of 2019
This site is paywalled, but if you have online access – do visit
the Financial Times Best Books of 2019 – the extensive subject
matter annotated list includes: economics, health, history, art, mysteries, thrillers,
fiction, non-fiction, technology, sport, poetry, science, art, gardens, and more – well done.
the Financial Times Best Books of 2019 – the extensive subject
matter annotated list includes: economics, health, history, art, mysteries, thrillers,
fiction, non-fiction, technology, sport, poetry, science, art, gardens, and more – well done.
Trial for Cranstons' alleged $100m fraud - Canberra Times by Luke Costin
One of the conspirators in the $100 million Plutus tax fraud has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, blackmail and money laundering. Daniel Rostankovski, known as ‘Big D', entered the guilty plea at the NSW Supreme Court on Friday
Blackmailer in Plutus tax fraud pleads guilty - Financial Review
Naomi Wolf and Angus Taylor in dispute over claims made in maiden speech
Dr Naomi Wolf had accused Mr Taylor of making inaccurate claims about her time at Oxford University in 1991 during his first speech to Parliament. Then things stepped up in Question Time
The overhauled public service may be more efficient, but at what cost to good government? - ABC News
Auditing is a vital pillar holding up our financial system and auditors are our entrusted gatekeepers and critical to the operation of our market system. Without their independent scrutiny of financial reporting, the entire financial system would be at risk
This chapter advances the claim that judges have an ethical obligation of competence that requires them to enhance their knowledge about language (in the context of statutory interpretation) and income tax law design and policy. It articulates some of the foundational understandings that support that competence and provides a simple hierarchy of approaches to interpreting income tax law. It concludes by contending that greater competence is not only more ethical but also advances other important societal goals fulfilled by the imposition of income tax systems. ...
The overhauled public service may be more efficient, but at what cost to good government? - ABC News
Underwhelmed and overworked, public servants join the job hunt ...
Auditing is a vital pillar holding up our financial system and auditors are our entrusted gatekeepers and critical to the operation of our market system. Without their independent scrutiny of financial reporting, the entire financial system would be at risk
Gatekeepers turned poachers are a danger to audit integrity
The Russians Are Coming! The American Conservative
Kim Brooks (Dalhousie University, Schulich School of Law), The Ethical Tax Judge, in Ethics and Taxation (Robert van Brederode ed., Springer 2020):
Ultimately, judges should seek to interpret income tax legislation in a fashion that respects our interdisciplinary understanding of how words are used to express ideas and supports the effective functioning of income tax legislation.
Exploitative': Study finds landlords are ripping off international students
A
survey of international students in Australia has found more than half
have experienced accommodation problems, including issues with safety
and overcrowding.
Vox: “…Ring’s efforts to woo police aren’t limited to lavish parties. The company offers police officers $50 off Ring products if their department partners with Ring; those from departments that don’t partner with Ring can get discounts, too. If Ring can sell an inviting brand image, police are more likely to trust the company. That trust is a crucial foundation for its partnerships with police, which have quietly proliferated since 2016, usually without public input. Ring has over 600 partnerships with law enforcement agencies around the country, and this number is increasing daily. The company has spent the past three years systematically making sure police everywhere know and recognize Ring, quietly building a nationwide surveillance network through police partnerships, and embedding itself into the functions of law enforcement. This network of police partnerships isn’t only unusual because of its size and scope. Behind the scenes, Ring is experimenting with emerging technologies, as well as pursuing a partnership with at least one other private surveillance company. The number of Ring partnerships with police grows almost daily, and, to date, there has been limited public debate about whether these partnerships should exist in the first place. Unless lawmakers curb or regulate the expansion of these partnerships, what we are seeing now is just a minuscule version of this company’s full potential…”
Daniel Hemel (Chicago), Argument Preview: Whose Refund Is It Anyway?:
Where’s my refund? Millions of
Americans ask that question each spring as they await checks from the
Internal Revenue Service for tax overpayments. The question takes on
added significance if your refund exceeds $4 million and you are
teetering on the edge of insolvency. This was the circumstance facing
United Western Bank, whose eight-year wait for a $4 million refund gave
rise to Rodriguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. On December 3, the Supreme Court will decide whether—and when—to bring that wait to an end. ...
Ari D. Glogower (Ohio State) & David Kamin (NYU), Sheltering Income Through a Corporation, 164 Tax Notes 507 (July 22, 2019):
In this article, Glogower and Kamin respond to Michael S. Knoll’s recent argument
that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act creates “very close to a level playing
field” between passthrough and corporate entities, and they explain why
some high-income owners may achieve tax savings by using corporations.
NSW Police cannot arrest without intending to charge, High Court finds
The High Court decision preserves a longstanding civil liberty, but the judges were split 4-3 in their decision.
Daniel Hemel (Chicago), Argument Preview: Whose Refund Is It Anyway?:
[W]hat will the justices do? One possibility is that they will dismiss the case as improvidently granted (or “DIG it,” in Supreme Court speak).
The reason for a DIG would be that the 10th Circuit’s decision doesn’t
turn on federal common law at all, and so the question presented isn’t
actually implicated. DIGs are disfavored, though, and the 10th Circuit
may have said enough about Bob Richards to satisfy the justices
that the federal-common-law issue is fair game. (The 10th Circuit noted
that “[f]ederal common law … provides a framework for resolving this
issue,” though it then added that federal common law directs it to start
with the parties’ agreement, and it went on to interpret that agreement
in light of Colorado law.)
A Facebook rumor about white vans is spreading fear across America CNN
A Facebook rumor about white vans is spreading fear across America CNN
An Oregon town couldn’t afford to hire cops for the night shift, so it proposed installing security cameras manned by volunteers who can identify ‘hardcore criminals’ just by looking at them Business Insider
Amazon unveils voice transcription tool for doctor-patient interactions Business Insider. Dr. Kevin: “What could possibly go wrong with transcribing BOTH sides of the conversation?” Moi: And having Amazon have a record?