It has been a good week, on the whole, for trade, with ABAC urging APEC to progress FTAAP through amalgamation of ASEAN, the TPP and RCEP via the Bogor goals. Sorry, I couldn't resist that. The bottom line is... Read Full Article »
One swallow doesn't make a summer, but two are a bit more promising, and that's what we are seeing in the EU/China tradasphere, with harmony breaking out on the oenophile and polysilicon fronts. In a parallel WTO case... Read Full Article »
As usual during this period of fiscal stress for countries across the world, we look in vain for any cuts in taxes. But at least in Malta they are trying to improve matters for businesses through simplification of the tax system and throttling... Read Full Article »
In the past few years, Malaysia has become an ideal location for a regional headquarters. Located in the centre of South East Asia, Malaysia is in close proximity to many leading Asian markets such as Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, China, and India. Read Full Article »
Spain and Italy are both in tax-cutting mode this week, the former more convincingly than the latter. By the time you've climbed to the top of the greasy pole, you've probably had to shed most of your principles (if you ever had any) as... Read Full Article »
It would have been better if Russia had abolished its "recycling" fee altogether, but it has done the next best thing by removing the exemptions for domestic manufacturers. It's not like Russia to roll over so easily (it's only a few weeks since the EU and others complained to the WTO about the levy), so it's tempting to suppose that this is part of the Sochi effect, a general clearing out of difficult and embarrassing dossiers in advance of the Games in February. I wonder what other rabbits Mr Putin will produce from his hat during the next few weeks in order to bring us to the starting line in a glow of bonhomie? Read Full Article »
As a global hub, Hong Kong has a pretty impressive resume. Global business surveys have given the following recognitions to Hong Kong... Read Full Article »
It's a bad week indeed when the nearest I can get to good news for taxpayers is that there are a certain number of countries thinking about tax cuts, but not promising anything. Ireland, for instance, where the Prime Minister at least said there wouldn't be any tax increases in the next Budget. Ireland emerged from its Troika-imposed bailout program ten days ago, but the Liffey didn't suddenly run with Guinness, and there was no red wine in the public fountains. The grim reality is that taxes are higher than they were five years ago in almost every respect except for the corporation tax rate. Read Full Article »
Scene: A bar in Casablanca, sometime in the early 21st century.
Dramatis Personae: A senior data analyst from the NSA (we'll call him Edward); a journalist from the Grauniad (we'll call her Rebecca); a spymaster from Moscow (we'll call him Vladimir); and a top official from a four-letter multilateral (we'll call him Angel). Read Full Article »
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