Demand for Carbon Credit Trading is Expected to Skyrocket The Tokyo Metropolitan Government recently launched Asia's first mandatory program to cut carbon emissions. The program will cover approximately 1,400 industries, commercial buildings and large office buildings within Tokyo. According to the Sustainability and Climate Change Reporter, “the Tokyo … [Read more...]
Global Corporate Tax Trends for 2010: An Overview of 183 Countries.
The World Bank Group's Doing Business Project recently released the 2010 edition of its Paying Taxes Report. The report is unique in that it measures the ease of paying taxes across 183 economies, by assessing the time required for companies to prepare and file tax returns and pay taxes, and also the company’s total tax liability as a percentage of commercial profits. The … [Read more...]
Is Immigration the Answer to Stimulate the Economy?
Thomas L.Friedman makes a compelling argument in the New York Times op-ed piece, Start-Ups, Not Bailouts, for stimulating the economy through immigration: Here’s my fun fact for the day, provided courtesy of Robert Litan, who directs research at the Kauffman Foundation, which specializes in promoting innovation in America: “Between 1980 and 2005, … [Read more...]
Switzerland and United States Reach Landmark Agreement in UBS Tax Case
Swiss Parliament Must Still Approve Amended Protocol The CBS news magazine 60 Minutes featured a story on January 3, 2010 concerning the tax controversy between Switzerland and the United States over Switzerland's secretive banking industry. At the time, it appeared there would be no end in sight to the impasse. 60 Minutes: A Crack in the Swiss Vault Yesterday, however, … [Read more...]
The BRICfast Club: A Series of Posts Dedicated to Brazil, Russia, India and China (Part II)
India Needs Massive Investment in Physical Infrastructure to Catch China Growth This is the second in a series of posts dedicated to the BRIC countries. While the late John Hughes would have appreciated the titular tribute to his Breakfast Club classic, the series is meant to stimulate a robust discussion among those interested in the subject. For the uninitiated, BRIC is an … [Read more...]
Strippers, Witches…and Bono: All Subject to the World's Most BizarreTax Laws
Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize … [Read more...]
Post-Game Analysis of Morrison v. National Australia Bank. Read the Transcript Here
"I mean, this case is Australian plaintiff, Australian defendant, shares purchased in Australia. It has 'Australia' written all over it." -- Justice Ginsburg, March 29, 2010 Following up on yesterday's pre-game analysis of oral argument in Morrison v. … [Read more...]
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether Foreign Plaintiffs Can Use American Courts to File International Securities Class Actions.
F-Cubed Securities Class Actions Put to the Test Today the Supreme Court will hear argument in Morrison v. National Bank of Australia. The case centers on so called “F-Cubed” securities class actions. As Ashby Jones, of the Wall Street Journal Law Blog explains “the term “F-Cubed” refers to securities class action cases that are largely … [Read more...]
WTO Forecasts 10% Increase in Global Trade for 2010
The World Trade Organization (WTO) forecasts a significant increase in global trade this year as international commerce continues its rapid recovery. Emerging market exports will lead the recovery with a rise of 11% compared to with 7.5% for developed economies. This comes as great news after the unprecedented speed of the collapse in world trade volumes in late … [Read more...]
Internationalization of the Internet: Be Among the First to Register an Internet Domain Name in a Foreign Script
Countries will soon be able to apply for internet addresses using characters from their national languages. The first Internet addresses containing non-Latin characters from start to finish will soon be online. In January, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as ICANN, paved the way for an entire domain name to appear in Cyrillic for Russia … [Read more...]