Media Dragon: The Contractual and Tax Implications of The Phantom of the Opera

Bad people find ways round whatever rules there are

In a letter to The Times this morning all the living former Cabinet Secretaries co-signed a letter demanding an enhanced Code of Conduct on behaviour
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It's been called "the devil's machine" and the "biggest bank scandal in history".

But on a spring morning in October 2010, the Macquarie Group board sat down to discuss the tax scheme using a more technical name: "German Short Trading".

The proposal before the board was to provide hundreds of millions of dollars to overseas funds, enabling them to take advantage of a quirk of the German tax system.

Leaked emails reveal how Macquarie Bank became entangled in an $80 billion scandal

Crossbench senator Rex Patrick could be on the hook for $150,000 or more in legal bills over a Federal Court stoush with the Australian Information Commissioner.

Senator Patrick is suing the Commissioner for alleged unreasonable delays in dealing with freedom of information (FOI) reviews, citing some matters being unresolved more than 1000 days after referral.

Senator Patrick is currently exploring funding options to proceed with the case in the event a cap on costs is not granted.

One in two decisions by federal government departments to block access to information are being overturned by the OAIC on review,according to Financial Review analysis of OAIC decisions.

The government has been accused of under-resourcing the Freedom of Information systemand regularly failing to comply with lawful requests.

Senator Patrick has been a long-time advocate for a more effective and transparent system. He also successfully opposed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to shroud National Cabinet in secrecy.

Senator on the hook for $150,000 in government legal fees

Parent power crosses the pond: Headteacher at London’s most expensive day school resigns over CRT.

Note to Nadine Dorries: there is no such thing as taxpayer’s money

It was in 1983 that Margaret Thacher told a Tory Party conference that: There is no such thing as public money; there is only taxpayers’
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Three Foreign Billionaires Finance the Dem Dark Money Machine.

Charles Edward Andrew Lincoln IV (Groningen; Google Scholar), The Contractual and Tax Implications of The Phantom of the Opera, Vand. J. Ent. & Tech. Blog

McKinsey affiliate agrees to pay $18 mln to U.S. regulator over compliance failures Reuters. Meanwhile, the FTC shows signs of life:

6 Ways to Make It Harder for Data Brokers to Collect Your Data

MakeUseOf: “Data brokerage is the underground economy that powers online advertising today. They follow us so much everywhere online; it’s hard to believe that this practice of buying and selling our data is even legal. The real-world equivalent of this practice is someone stalking you 24/7, noting your every move, with little or no consequence. And while it initially appears as a harmless way to sell you more things, data brokerage has evolved to affect everything from your credit scores to insurance premiums. So, what can you do to make it hard for data brokers to buy and sell your data?…”

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THE INTERNET OF THINGS: Tesla app outage left drivers locked out of their cars. “This weekend some Tesla drivers didn’t have to imagine that teeth-grindingly irritating reality, as the official app’s outage meant that you would be locked out of your car if you didn’t take your key with you and relied just on your smartphone instead.”