UK Chancellor Alistair Darling unveiled substantial increases to the tax bills of private equity bosses. The Treasury has carried out a six-month review of the tax treatment of private equity groups in response to growing criticism, particularly from trade unions, that rich owners of such companies pay virtually no tax in Britain. Nicholas Ferguson of …
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US protectionism for a while
As Doha dies and economic pressures rise, there has been more commentary of trade and investment protectionism, particularly among US presidential candidates. The outlook is not good as this insightful comment from a global trade forum indicates: Bottom line: there are really only two things you can expect, on the whole, from the US on …
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Outsource data centres to profit and reduce risk
Outsourcing IT and data centre functions to third party providers can deliver energy savings of up to 40% and help reduce firms’ exposure to green legislation, according to a new whitepaper, Creating Cost and Efficiency through Outsourcing Hosted Solutions, from IT analyst firm IDC. The study, which was commissioned by managed IT services provider Rackspace, …
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EU to help SMEs green operations
European commission has unveiled a plan to reduce the environmental impact of small and medium size businesses and boost their compliance with EU environmental legislation. The plan coincides with a review of EU efforts to increase the competitiveness of these firms and contains measures for increasing SMEs’ awareness of environmental issues through training and better …
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Play is critical to development
The UK school grounds charity, Learning Through Landscapes, commenting on a poll of 1,146 children sponsored by RBS, suggests children engage in bullying and negative behaviour because they are bored. Although almost all (93%) enjoyed playtimes, one in four had been bullied in the playground while one in six got bored. They suggest a solution …
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Ahmadinejad speaks at Tehran U
Last month’s controversial gathering at Columbia University catalysed an equally divisive discussion by Ahmadinejad at Tehran University. It is a good sign that these discussions are taking place even though Iran may be castigated by western media (not without some reason).
Tomatoes and tilling
I finally got some overdue chores completed in the garden. The tomato harvest is in full swing and they need to be harvested at this time of year or they can deteriorate quickly. Although the greenhouse is warm enough for them to grow, the low temperatures overnight combined with seasonal humidity result in high condensation …
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King John and all that – fighting for habeas corpus
The Economist’s penultimate paper on civil liberties discusses detention without trial. When I heard the history of King John of England playing fast and loose with people and how his own barons and courtiers had to rein him in and force him to contract to behave ethically (Magna Carta 1215), it was one of those …
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Global business confidence index still positive, just
The Economist launched a global business barometer conducted by EIU which polls 1,000 executives. While it is just positive, I expect it to turn negative by January when the next poll will be taken. There are differences by region and industry and these differences are in line with what you might expect.
Stock prices do not always go up
In case you are still entirely convinced that the softness in stock markets is temporary and can be relived by another interest rate cut, please read this potted history of bear markets by The Economist. Wall Street has had a good run for a quarter of a century, but if were to go the way …
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