US corporate tax reform would risk highway fund

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Fuel Efficiency ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Corporate Tax Reform ◽  
The Cost

Significance On July 15, the House of Representatives passed a short-term funding measure, against the wishes of many in the Senate. US infrastructure is facing a fiscal crunch. Taxes on gasoline have traditionally supported highway appropriations. However, eroding purchasing power and greater fuel efficiency means that about 30% of highway funding must be found from other sources, difficult in the current Congress. The present round of appropriations expires on July 31. Impacts A corporate tax might provide a long-term resolution, but the pursuit of it would come at the cost of seeking more modest solutions. These would provide stability for a year or two, necessary for projects of long duration. If corporate tax reform is not completed before the end of 2015, it will probably not get done in a presidential election year. If Congress were to rely on the prospect of these taxes for the HTF, it might find itself in a similar position in a few months.

Widespread US tax reform appears increasingly unlikely

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Stock Markets ◽  
Budget Deficit ◽  
Healthcare Reform ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Corporate Tax Reform ◽  
Business Confidence

Subject Prospects for US corporate tax reform Significance The US administration is growing increasingly anxious for legislative successes, focusing attention on whether Congressional Republicans can deliver on their promise of corporate tax reform. Sustained business confidence and buoyant stock markets suggest businesses remain hopeful, but as Congress gets to work on reforming the tax code, intra-party rifts will increasingly reveal themselves. Impacts Senate debate on healthcare reform saw many controversies arise; a similar course looks unavoidable for corporate tax reform. Stock markets might celebrate a simple and temporary tax cut, but bond investors would flee from the prospect of a wider budget deficit. Other countries would likely react with their own cuts; widespread low rates mean that tax already has less influence on a firm’s location. Losing control of the House of Representatives in the November 2018 mid-term elections would make reform trickier for the Republicans.

US corporate tax reform depends on issue linkage

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Common Ground ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Effective Tax Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
White House ◽  
Corporate Tax Reform ◽  
The Eu

Significance Corporate tax may be one area where it could be possible to find some common ground between the otherwise gridlocked Republican Congress and the Democratic White House. President Barack Obama has proposed a one-time repatriation tax on cash held overseas by companies to be followed by a full-spectrum tax code overhaul. Impacts Lobbyists may support a repatriation amnesty, but will obstruct any initiative that raises effective tax rates. European Commission independence from member states may see the EU lead on corporate tax investigations. Australia will move slowly on corporate tax reform if the coalition government remains distracted by leadership disputes.

Policy will not support US growth as much as expected

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Tax Reform ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
International Financial Institutions ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Tax Reform ◽  
Capital Spending ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Economic Outlook

Subject US economic outlook. Significance US equity markets have rallied and the dollar has strengthened against the euro since President Donald Trump was elected in November 2016 -- largely on expectations that stimulative policies will be introduced. One of Trump's campaign promises pledged to reform corporate taxes and lower tax rates, which would be expected to boost capital spending. He also pledged to raise infrastructure spending by 1 trillion dollars over ten years, as well as to reduce regulatory burdens to help jumpstart business investment. Impacts Trump could use executive powers in a more sweeping fashion if he cannot deliver changes via legislation. US opposition to reforms of international financial institutions could reduce the momentum behind global cooperation. If the proposal to finance the 1-trillion-dollar infrastructure plan by public-private partnerships is a success, 2018 GDP will benefit. If agreed by 2018 or 2019, corporate tax reform could boost GDP growth although the impact could be diluted if other countries follow suit.

Airbus crash will add to firm, European sector worries

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fatal Crash ◽  
Technological Competence ◽  
Production Values ◽  
Aerospace Sector ◽  
Aerospace Systems ◽  
The Cost ◽  
European Sector

Subject Prospects for the European defence aerospace sector. Significance This month's fatal crash of an Airbus A400M military transport plane during a pre-delivery checkout flight in Seville is a major setback for the A400M programme. The programme is already four years behind schedule. Airbus's military business is heavily dependent on the A400M, especially as its Typhoon fighter is falling behind the French-built Dassault Rafale in an intensifying battle for export orders. Impacts European defence firms' participation in US-led programmes such as the F-35 may help to sustain revenues. This will come at the cost of a long-term decline in technological competence. The Rafale's export advantage may give French industry a short-term edge, but France alone cannot support future investment. Even if European states agree on future unmanned aerospace systems, these are unlikely to match a conventional aircraft's production values.

The Portuguese corporate tax reform and international trends: an assessment

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
António Martins
Keyword(s):  
Public Finance ◽  
Tax Reform ◽  
Income Taxation ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
Corporate Tax Reform ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is, first, to discuss if the Portuguese corporate tax reform, implemented in 2014, moved the system towards international trends. Second is to analyse in what areas the similarities and disparities are more pronounced when assessing the Portuguese reform against the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base, the Mirrlees Review or other relevant international guidelines. Finally, it assesses how a European country under a bailout could significantly reform the corporate tax. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed is based on a mix of the legal research method and case study analysis. The legal method will be applied under comparative income taxation, and the case study will draw on the Portuguese reform to broaden the discussion about critical issues like the participation exemption regime and its place in the taxation of international income flows. The paper will analyse core issues in international income taxation, the present state of corporate tax harmonization in the European Union, discuss the main issues that were dealt by the Portuguese tax reform and offer a critical assessment of tax policy choices that underpinned the reform. Findings – During the past decades, Portugal was increasingly out of line with international trends in corporate taxation. The bailout asked for the Portuguese Government in 2011 placed a heavy burden in public finances, with an apparent lack of room to follow international trends of corporate tax reform. However, it can be concluded that, after convincing the troika that investment and growth were paramount to overcome the severe economic and social crisis that fell upon the country, the corporate tax was seen as an important policy tool to promote these goals. The reform was thus possible even in the context of a restrictive public finance situation, and followed most guidelines put forward in highly regarded international reports. Practical implications – A broad corporate tax reform, including rate reduction, a participation exemption regime, a more flexible rule on cost acceptance, an extension of loss carry over period, to name a few, was possible in a very constrained public finance situation. By placing the emphasis on moving the system towards international trends and promoting measures to enhance investment and growth, international creditors could accept such a reform. Also, a consensus with the main opposition party was a very important factor in securing much needed political support. Originality/value – The findings from what can be considered as an experiment in corporate tax reform in tough economic and social times can be useful to policymakers, tax authorities and international bodies dealing with tax reform processes. The impact on managerial decisions such as investment and financing is also relevant.

scholarly journals Methods to Prevent Future Severe Animal Welfare Problems Caused by COVID-19 in the Pork Industry

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 830
Author(s):  
Temple Grandin
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Electrical Parameters ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Pork Industry ◽  
Third Party Auditing ◽  
The Cost ◽  
High Welfare

In the U.S., the most severe animal welfare problems caused by COViD-19 were in the pork industry. Thousands of pigs had to be destroyed on the farm due to reduced slaughter capacity caused by ill workers. In the future, both short-term and long-term remedies will be needed. In the short-term, a portable electrocution unit that uses scientifically validated electrical parameters for inducing instantaneous unconsciousness, would be preferable to some of the poor killing methods. A second alternative would be converting the slaughter houses to carcass production. This would require fewer people to process the same number of pigs. The pandemic revealed the fragility of large centralized supply chains. A more distributed supply chain with smaller abattoirs would be more robust and less prone to disruption, but the cost of pork would be greater. Small abattoirs can coexist with large slaughter facilities if they process pigs for specialized premium markets such as high welfare pork. The pandemic also had a detrimental effect on animal welfare inspection and third party auditing programs run by large meat buyers. Most in-person audits in the slaughter plants were cancelled and audits were done by video. Video audits should never completely replace in-person audits.

scholarly journals Long-Term Microgravity Effects on Isometric Handgrip and Precision Pinch Force with Visual and Proprioceptive Feedback

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Ilario Puglia ◽  
Michele Balsamo ◽  
Marco Vukich ◽  
Valfredo Zolesi
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Force Output ◽  
Isometric Handgrip ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Space Flights ◽  
Pinch Force ◽  
Long Duration

The study and analysis of human physiology during short- and long-duration space flights are the most valuable approach in order to evaluate the effect of microgravity on the human body and to develop possible countermeasures in prevision of future exploratory missions and Mars expeditions. Hand performances such as force output and manipulation capacity are fundamental for astronauts’ intra- and extravehicular activities. Previous studies on upper limb conducted on astronauts during short-term missions (10 days) indicated a temporary partial reduction in the handgrip maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) followed by a prompt recovery and adaptation to weightlessness during the last days of the mission. In the present study, we report on the “Crew’s Health: Investigation on Reduced Operability” (CHIRO) protocol, developed for handgrip and pinch force investigations, performed during the six months increment 7 and increment 8 (2003-2004) onboard International Space Station (ISS). We found that handgrip and pinch force performance are reduced during long-term increments in space and are not followed by adaptation during the mission, as conversely reported during short-term increment experiments. The application of protocols developed in space will be eligible to astronauts during long-term space missions and to patients affected by muscle atrophy diseases or nervous system injury on Earth.

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