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| Same Ol' Shit (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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| English: Matt Damon at the 66th Venice International Film Festival Nederlands: Matt Damon op het 66e Venice International Film Festival Français : 66ème Festival du Cinéma de Venise (Mostra), 6ème jour (07/09/2009) Photocall avec Matt Damon et Steven Soderbergh pour le film : The Informant (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Thoughts on the state of the GOP race -- and why I've become a lot less skeptical of Trump's chances: https://t.co/apm5unqN4h
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) January 21, 2016the textbook on Trump is that he’d be a failure along virtually every dimension that party elites normally consider when choosing a nominee: electability (Trump is extremely unpopular with general election voters); ideological reliability (like Sarah Palin, Trump’s a “maverick”); having traditional qualifications for the job; and so forth. Even if the GOP is mostly in disarray, my assumption was that it would muster whatever strength it had to try to stop Trump. ...... Rubio would seem to have the best shot. He’s easily the most conservative of the four, has the best favorability ratings and can make perhaps the best electability argument. ...... if I were ranking the four establishment candidates’ chances of eventually defeating Trump and Cruz, I’d put Rubio first .....All I can see (and I have not been following closely at all) is that the race might get competitive.there’s room for near-daily momentum shifts before New Hampshire votes.
...... Things are lining up better for Trump than I would have imagined, however. It’s not his continued presence in the race that surprises me so much as the lack of a concerted effort to stop him.
If you define a tax haven as a place that tries to attract non-resident funds by offering light regulation, low (or zero) taxation and secrecy, then the world has 50-60 such havens. These serve as domiciles for more than 2m companies and thousands of banks, funds and insurers. Nobody really knows how much money is stashed away: estimates vary from way below to way above $20 trillion. ..... Ugland House, a building in the Cayman Islands that is officially home to 18,000 companies ...... Delaware (population 917,092), which is home to 945,000 companies, many of which are dodgy shells. ..... Miami is a massive offshore banking centre, offering depositors from emerging markets the sort of protection from prying eyes that their home countries can no longer get away with. The City of London, which pioneered offshore currency trading in the 1950s, still specialises in helping non-residents get around the rules. British shell companies and limited-liability partnerships regularly crop up in criminal cases. London is no better than the Cayman Islands when it comes to controls against money laundering. Other European Union countries are global hubs for a different sort of tax avoidance: companies divert profits to brass-plate subsidiaries in low-tax Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands. .......
America remains shamefully reluctant to share information with the Latin American countries whose citizens hold deposits in Miami.
....... Nor do corporate taxes raise much money: barely more than 2% of GDP (8.5% of tax revenue) in America and 2.7% in Britain. Abolishing corporate tax would create its own problems, as it would encourage rich people to turn themselves into companies. But a lower rate on a broader base, combined with vigilance by the tax authorities, would be more efficient and would probably raise more revenue: America, whose companies face one of the rich world’s highest corporate-tax rates on their worldwide income, also has some of the most energetic tax-avoiders. .....Financial centres and incorporation hubs, from the City of London to Delaware, will fight any attempt to tighten their rules. But if politicians really want to tax the missing $20 trillion, that’s where they should start.
If you want to know why the burn-it-down caucus is winning ... https://t.co/bz0tvUjI33
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) January 20, 2016Politics: Trump used to back Hillary, who endorsed Gore, who ran with Lieberman, who endorsed McCain, who picked Palin, who endorsed Trump.
— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) January 20, 2016@nickconfessore pic.twitter.com/M37SRAqczz
— Paramendra Bhagat (@paramendra) January 22, 2016"Generally, three types of taxes will show up on a worker's pay stub: federal income taxes, payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare), and state income taxes" ....... State and local governments collect sales taxes on individual goods and services. Similarly, governments charge excise taxes on specific items, including gasoline and cigarettes. ..... Income taxes serve as the largest source of revenue for the federal government, accounting for over 40% of yearly tax revenue. ..... Counties, cities, and other local areas often levy taxes to raise money as well. Property taxes, Lundeen noted, "are generally charged at the local level in order to pay for services such as schools, police and fire departments, and parks." Similarly, localities often charge an additional sales tax. ...... The federal estate tax, often the subject of controversy, applies only after death and only if the estate is worth $5.34 million or more. Also, you may be able to avoid paying a number of excise taxes if you do not smoke, drink, or gamble. However, some excise taxes may be harder to avoid, including those levied on cell phone services, hotel stays, and gasoline purchases ...... the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) gives a tax credit to low and moderate earners. ..... Sales taxes are often considered to be regressive, meaning lower-income individuals and households spend a greater proportion of their earnings to pay the tax, compared to higher income residents. ...... Excise taxes are similar to broad sales taxes, except they are charged on specific goods. States typically tax certain purchases, including gas, cigarettes, beer and liquor. Excise taxes are frequently levied on so-called "sin products," and often are intended not only to help raise money, but also to deter unhealthy behaviors. ...... the Social Security tax, employees pay 6.2% of their wages, and employers match that for a total contribution of 12.4%. ..... Property taxes .... In many instances, these taxes are deductible. ..... Many homeowners also qualify for a mortgage interest deduction. ..... The highest estate tax rate charged at the federal level is 40%. ....... Some states have an inheritance tax, where the rate you pay depends on your relation to the deceased. ...... All gifts over $14,000 are taxable, with the tax to be paid by the recipient. The highest gift tax rate is 40% of the taxable gift amount. This tax applies not only to cash, but also to gifts like company shares or cars.Taxation in the United States
taxes on income, payroll, property, sales, capital gains, dividends, imports, estates and gifts, as well as various fees. In 2010 taxes collected by federal, state and municipal governments amounted to 24.8% of GDP. In the OECD, only Chile and Mexico taxed less as a share of GDP. The United States also has one of the most progressive tax systems in the industrialized world. ......... Taxes are imposed on net income of individuals and corporations by the federal, most state, and some local governments. Citizens and residents are taxed on worldwide income and allowed a credit for foreign taxes. Income subject to tax is determined under tax accounting rules, not financial accounting principles, and includes almost all income from whatever source. Most business expenses reduce taxable income ..... certain nonbusiness expenses, including home mortgage interest, state and local taxes, charitable contributions, and medical and certain other expenses incurred above certain percentages of income ..... Federal tax rates vary from 10% to 39.6% of taxable income.47 Different Taxes We Pay: Can You Think of More?
Taxation And Political Innovation To Less Inequality https://t.co/zqPMowsvHq @BernieSanders #2016
— Paramendra Bhagat (@paramendra) January 21, 2016.jpg)
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| Iran (Persia) with Black, Caspian and Arabian seas around (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
