Monday, August 15, 2022

AUKUS: We need to tax wealth more – but in the right way

Xiao Qian says reset of China-Australia relationship is possible and suggests Washington had turned Canberra against Beijing


Lessons from Ukraine : Richard Broinowski: AUKUS and nuclear focus


Karan Talwar, 35, is facing three charges of dealing with property reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

Police allege Mr Talwar laundered money and cryptocurrency through complex transactions from the sale of personal identification information, illegal goods and scams.

It is alleged he accumulated a significant number of assets with the money he made.

Police have seized eight Canberra houses, four cars, luxury goods including handbags and more than $1 million in cash.


Densten replied: 'Somebody has registered an Australian business number in my name, claimed tax credits of GST of about 10-20 grand in March and in June. And then taken $25 thousand from the tax office illegally to an address and stolen the money under my name.'

Canberra man accused of money laundering as result of joint FBI-AFP investigation faces court


Gogglebox star Adam Densten has fallen prey to an insidious scam that saw his identity stolen and used to commit tax fraud.

The reality TV star shared his terrifying experience on The Adam and Symon show podcast this week, telling his co-host Symon Lovett: 'I have had my identity stolen.'

Densten explained he received a call from the Australian Tax Office asking him to provide a range of personal details. 

Gogglebox star reveals his identity was stolen and used by criminals to loot $25K in shocking ATO tax fraud case


Cyber landscape of North Korea 🇰🇵 


The confirmation, that came by way of a Talos blog posting, stated Cisco was first made aware of a potential compromise on May 24. The potential compromise became a confirmed network breach following further investigation by the Cisco Security Incident Response (CSIRT) team.

Cisco Hacked: Ransomware Gang Claims It Has 2.8GB Of Data


Some millionaires pay no tax. Are there lessons to be learnt for the rest of us?


How ‘tax bludgers’ are ripping off their fellow Australians


We need to tax wealth more – but in the right way

Wealth taxes are often said to be the source of the additional revenues this country needs to solve its financial problems. There are two problems
Read the full article…


TikTok had a ‘kill list’ of workers in the London office they wanted to force out, stated employees


The tax provisions of the new climate and taxes bill


Ireland: The republic is enjoying a €8bn corporate tax windfall after bumper pandemic-enhanced revenues from tech and pharmaceutical companies. The tax take from companies attracted by Ireland’s 12.5 per cent corporate rate has soared since 2015 and leapt a further 30 per cent last year compared with 2020.

Ireland’s economy expanded by 6.3 per cent over the second quarter, against an EU average of just 0.6 per cent. So great was the impact from multinationals that Ireland’s numbers distorted EU figures, despite the nation of 5.1mn making up less than 3 per cent of the region’s economy.

Here is more from the FT.


Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, the Kremlin was building a network of secret agents to smooth its path. A Reuters investigation shows the infiltration went far deeper than has been acknowledged.

How Russia spread a secret web of agents across Ukraine


Analysis: Beyond yachts and planes - U.S. turns to foreign agent laws to curb Russian influence 

In the five months since the U.S. Department of Justice launched a task force to seize Russian oligarchs' assets to pressure Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, prosecutors also have targeted something less tangible: Russia's influence. 

 Read the full piece


Wall Street Journal Editorial, The IRS Is About to Go Beast Mode:

IRS Logo 2Progressives want Joe Biden to unleash what they call “beast mode” executive power, and the Schumer-Manchin tax bill supplies the cash to turn the Internal Revenue Service into Wolverine.

The pact between Sen. Joe Manchin and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer includes $80 billion in new funding for the tax man. Democrats claim this “investment” will yield more than $200 billion in revenue. That estimate is highly speculative, but if it’s anywhere close to right IRS auditors will soon be coming after tens of millions of Americans.


Federalist Society, Are IRS Defenses Crumbling?:

The continuous stream of regulations and other guidance the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must publish to inform the public how it is going to implement, administer, and enforce the frequent, numerous, and complicated changes to the tax laws, along with the high dollar stakes involved, create constant opportunities and incentives to challenge the IRS.


'Spy vs Spy: The New Age of Espionage' 

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and Australian Foreign Affairs is delighted to invite you to a panel discussion on the new issue of Australian Foreign Affairs: Spy vs Spy: The New Age of Espionage. 

 Find out more


The secret behind al-Shabaab’s longevity: A formidable spy wing 

More than half of all terrorist groups fail within a year, while 95 percent of them are extinct within a decade. Yet al-Shabaab, Somalia’s al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist outfit, has been projecting strength in the Horn of Africa for over 15 years, despite having faced much stronger opponents. Today, with an operational presence in both Somalia and Kenya, the group maintains a force of between 5,000 and 10,000 full-time fighters. Pointing to its longevity, some observers view it as the most successful terrorist group of the 21st century. 

 Read more





Professor Mark Scott AO
Vice-Chancellor & President of The University of Sydney

"Address to the National Press Club of Australia"

Professor Mark Scott was appointed as the University’s 27th Vice-Chancellor in 2021. He is a highly respected and successful senior leader of large and complex institutions, across public service, education and the media. Under his leadership as Secretary of the NSW Department of Education (2016 to 2021), the Department.

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