If you follow me on Social Media at all (I’m on twitter here and Facebook here), you’ve probably heard me grumbling about the riots in France this week. I’ll admit it: it’s not about the French, I’m totally being selfish. My husband and I have been planning a trip to France for awhile (it just…
A significant number of our law firm clients are in the tech sector. A fairly hefty percentage of those tech clients happen to be headquartered outside of the US, specifically in western Europe. As in the US, the success rates of many European tech firms have corresponded fairly directly with the health of the economy….
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has announced that the country will not tax sporks and other plastic utensils after all. The French government has conceded that now is perhaps not the best time to introduce the products now because many French are already worried about their declining purchasing power. Indeed, those opposed to the tax…
Do you remember “sporks”? Those plastic spoon-meets-fork utensils that you can get at fast food restaurants? I remember seeing my first spork at a Kentucky Fried Chicken. I ordered the cole slaw (I have cole slaw issues, am slightly addicted) and got a plastic sealed package of salt, pepper, napkin and spork. It was, I…
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has introduced a proposal to ban advertising from state-owned television channels. In the US, there are usually limitations on advertising on public television. Most public television in the US is financed through a mix of corporate and government contributions and donations of private individuals. However, in a number of countries…
Over the past ten years, the tax burden on wages has eased in most of the world’s industrial countries, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Those changes have benefited the lower and middle class, for the most part. Only, there some exceptions. The OECD pointed fingers at a small group of…
The crackdown on tax evaders who depend on Liechtenstein in order to shield income has escalated. Nine countries from the Organization for Economic and Co-operation Development (OECD), Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, Sweden, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, have reportedly received and are examining information on Liechtenstein accounts from two banks. The Bundesnachrichtendienst…
Sooo… Elizabeth Taylor reportedly tried to do it. Ditto Madonna and, if you believe the rumors, the rock group U2. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about: moving to avoid taxes. It’s not just the US with complaints about taxation. Many countries in the EU routinely complain about their high rates of taxation, among the…