Taxation
"The only certain things in life are death and taxes" - Benjamin Franklin
"The taxpayer is liable to pay the tax due - and no more" - Lord Denning
Governments have no money except that which they raise by taxation. There is a constant tug-of-war between governments trying to raise taxes and taxpayers trying to reduce what they pay.
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Tax revenues: what governments are hiding
If you think everyone is suffering from high oil prices, you are mistaken. Around the world, Governments are crying crocodile tears. They are blaming OPEC, oil companies, speculators and anyone else they can think of. But guess who's making the really big bucks - and how.
Tax enforcement: US 0, Offshore 1. But the game's not over.
It's long been a bone of contention: the US wants to prosecute tax evasion but that's not an offence in many countries such as Switzerland and countries where there is no income tax. The US claims those countries are non-co-operative but the countries argue that their tax laws are their own affair. The US has given in. Sort of.
UK: Not now Darling, if you think Brown nosed aside
Despite moving his office (but not his home) from 11 Downing Street to Number 10 (Chancellor to Prime Minister) Gordon Brown remains in overall charge of the economy, making him effectively the UK's first president. His influence in Treasury is leading to ever higher taxes - and even the poor don't escape.
USA: ""the IRS is losing its battle to rein in aggressive transfer pricing abuse" - Report
Corporate tax revenues have dropped by USD17.4 milliard because U.S. multinational corporations are better able to shift their profits overseas, says a report in Tax Notes magazine.
UK: first time buyers thumped by stamp duty
The UK's stamp duty regime is perhaps the most hated of all, with frequent calls for its abolition as a pointless tax. But under Gordon Brown's reign as Chancellor, it went from Cinderella tax to serious money spinner. But the story has a kick in its tail.