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'Eating posture' tax codes to be scrapped
Published: 31 Aug 12 16:23 CET
Germany wants to change confusing laws that subjects fast food stands to differing amounts of tax depending on whether their customers sit or stand to eat.
- Merkel: 'nein' to gay equality on tax and kids - Society (28 Aug 12)
- Government slates 'Robin Hoods' wealth tax - Business & Money(3 Aug 12)
- Bavarian firms: tax check once in 250 years - Business & Money(25 Jun 12)
In the future, the ministry plans to just levy the seven percent rate.
Traditionally, 'restaurant services' are taxed at the standard 19 percent tax rate, but 'food delivery' is one of 50 categories that qualifies for Germany's reduced tax rate.
Last year Germany's top financial court ruled that fast food qualified as 'food delivery' - and the corresponding lower tax rate - if patrons ate their sausages or fries while standing.
The decision followed an earlier one by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, which ruled that popcorn and nachos served in cinemas must be taxed at the reduced rate of seven percent - insisting they fell under the category of food delivery. This was true, said the court, even if the items were heated.
Germany's finance ministry is set to discuss changing the law sometime in September, Bild reported.
The reduced tax rate was originally introduced to prevent basic necessities from becoming too expensive for the poor, but the list of exceptions has since grown to include things like hotel stays and theatre tickets.
However, grocery products like meat, milk, coffee still make up the largest category of products taxed at the reduced rate.
The Local/DPA/sh
http://bmadisms.blogspot.com/2011/08/boob-money-debate.html
http://www.paulnoll.com/Books/Clear-English/debate-05-money-pro.html
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120901-44705.html
http://www.thelocal.de/money/20120831-44681.html
1 of 10
Location: China
Estimates vary widely on its cost, but it's thought the Three Gorges Dam is the most expensive hydroelectric project ever built.
The idea to dam the Yangtze river originated more than 70 years ago, but it wasn't until 1992 that the Chinese government approved the project. The dam generated controversy, partly because over 1 million people had to be relocated.
Three Gorges has been coming online in stages, and only reached full power this summer. It can generate 84.7 billion kilowatts a year, enough to supply China with 10% of its electricity.
Some say many of the projects on this list will carry a heavier environmental toll as more easily accessible energy is harder to find.
Minister wants to ban stolen tax-dodger details
Published: 1 Sep 12 14:23 CET
Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has said she backs calls to stop regional authorities from buying stolen information about tax evasion from Switzerland.
- Swiss banker arrested for 'selling German data' - National (27 Aug 12)
- State premier: Buying tax cheat CDs is legal - National (20 Aug 12)
- German tax revenues up 9 percent on a year ago - Business & Money (20 Aug 12)
"The purchase takes us into a very problematic grey area, not only ethically and morally, but also legally," Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said.
"I support my Hesse colleague Jörg Uwe Hahn who wants to bring in a new law against the handling of stolen data,” she said. Hahn has said he would like to see authorities brought to book for receiving and using the information.
"Someone who copies data onto a blank CD unbeknown to his employer is indisputably guilty of theft," said Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger.
Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said there was no alternative to a tax agreement being negotiated between Germany and Switzerland. Under the terms of the deal, Germans who had evaded tax by putting money into banks in the Alpine country would - instead of being prosecuted - have only to pay moderate retroactive taxes.
She also hit out at state governments partly led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) for putting the brakes on any such deal. "With the agreement we wanted to create a legal basis on which to fight tax evasion," Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said.
However, SPD-led states did not appear easily to convince on the issue. Schleswig Holstein State Premier Torsten Albig said he believed such purchases were entirely legitimate.
"I am in favour of buying all the CDs we can that can get hold of, and using them," said Albig. "It would bring in a lot of money for the treasury."
Earlier this week, a Swiss banker suspected of selling to the German authorities was arrested in Zurich, and fired from his job at the bank Julius Bär.
The finance ministry in the western German state of North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) has bought a number of discs including details of German citizens who place money in Swiss banks to avoid paying tax.
Dusseldorf tax expert Thomas Koblenzer has now brought a case against NRW Finance Minister Norbert Walter-Borjans, accusing him of breaking data protection laws in using the information.
DAPD/The Local/rc
http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/economy/2012/08/27/expensive-energy-projects/index.html
More Lufthansa flights cancelled day after strike
Published: 1 Sep 12 11:59 CET
Lufthansa was cancelled 18 flights on Saturday amid disruption caused by a strike by cabin crew in Frankfurt the day before, an airport spokesman confirmed.
- Frankfurt airport strike creates flight chaos - National (31 Aug 12)
- Lufthansa strike grounds a third of Frankfurt flights - National (31 Aug 12)
- Lufthansa strikes to hit on Friday - National (30 Aug 12)
Luftansa confirmed in a statement posted online that 18 flights had been cancelled.
Friday's strike had forced the airline to ground 190 of 360 flights, mostly short and medium-haul flights to Germany and the rest of Europe.
In all, a total 26,000 passengers were affected.
The UFO labour union, which represents some two-thirds of Lufthansa's 18,000 cabin crew members, said participation was "very high".
The union had called the eight-hour strike in its fight for a five percent pay increase for cabin crew for 15 months backdated to January this year after three years of zero increases.
It is also opposed to the use of temporary cabin staff in Lufthansa aircraft.
Unions had held off from strike action while last-ditch wage negotiations were still under way, but with no breakthrough, UFO declared the talks had failed and called for immediate walkouts.
Lufthansa, whose latest offer was for a pay increase of around 3.5 percent, has urged unions to return to the negotiating table.
UFO says it will not rule out further strike action.
AFP/hc
External link: Lufthansa passenger information in English »
Apple 2.0
Covering the business that Steve Jobs built
Apple targets the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note
September 1, 2012: 7:08 AM ETAfter last week's $1B verdict, it amends a second patent suit to cover 21 new devices
Samsung TV ad mocks diehard Apple fans
FORTUNE -- Claiming that Samsung has "continued to flood the market with copycat products," Apple (AAPL) on Friday asked a federal court in San Jose for a new jury trial to rule on 21 more "infringing products" -- including Samsung's best-selling Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note.
The filing, an amendment to a suit filed in February, comes one week to the day after a Silicon Valley jury socked Samsung with $1.05 billion in damages for infringing Apple patents with a wave of older devices running Google's (GOOG) Android operating system.
The new case -- not to be confused with what Apple now refers to as "the Earlier Case" -- targets 21 more Android phones and tablets released by Samsung between August 2011 and August 2012, chief among them the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note.
The Note is the 5.3-inch hybrid tablet/phone with which Samsung attacked the iPhone in TV ads mocking the diehard fans who queue up for latest Apple product.
The "flagship" Galaxy S III smartphone, introduced in June, was particularly well reviewed -- CNETawarded it an Editor's Choice rating -- and sold briskly. According to Samsung, it took the company less than a month to sell 10 million units, helping vault Samsung -- and Android -- well ahead of Apple and iOS in this summer's race for smartphone supremacy.
The amended complaint charges that with these 21 products, Samsung has infringed on eight additional Apple patents. They are, according to the filing:
- '647 -- system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer generated data
- '959 -- universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system
- '721 -- unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image
- '172 -- method, system and graphical user interface for providing word recommendations
- '760 -- missed telephone call management for a portable multifunction device
- '502 -- graphical user interface using historical lists with field classes
- '414 -- asynchronous data synchronization amongst devices
- '604 -- universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system
The trial is tentatively scheduled for March 2014.
AppleInsider has made a pdf of the amended complaint available here.
Posted in: Apple, Google, Intellectual property, Samsung
The German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) calculated that if the wealthier members of society were taxed a one-off chunk of ten percent of their fortunes over and above €250,000 per head, it could make a real difference to reducing the country's debt.
The tax could even be tied into a mandatory bond scheme – where the state promises to pay back the money with interest as and when it can.
The idea is that such a “capital levy” – a one-off wealth tax – would only benefit the economy as it would not reduce all-important consumer demand. Reasonable personal allowances would be drawn up to make sure the tax does not impoverish people, and there would be measures to protect businesses.
But could such a tactic destroy trust and faith in the system? Would it encourage rich people to hide their wealth, or even leave the country? Is it the kind of ‘eat the rich’ solution offered up in student debates?
A writer at the Frankfurter Rundschau argued that those hit by the levy would also be those who would most benefit most from a stabilisation of the financial system and expensive bank bailouts.
Would it be fair to expect the wealthiest among us to contribute to keeping the national debt to sustainable levels and so help keep the crisis from crossing Germany’s borders? Or would Germany be shooting itself in the foot?
Registered users of The Local may add their comments in the field below. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here – it’s free and only takes a moment.
The Local/hc
http://therightrant.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html
Should Germany hit the rich with a wealth tax?
Published: 11 Jul 12 16:47 CET
A respected economics institute has suggested a one-off tax for the wealthiest in Germany, to raise €230 billion to shore up national debt. Would such a measure kill investment in the country or is it a fair idea? Have your say.
- German economists: make the rich buy bonds - Business & Money (11 Jul 12)
- Bavarian firms: tax check once in 250 years - Business & Money(25 Jun 12)
- Left leader calls for 40k a month income cap - Politics (16 Jun 12)
The tax could even be tied into a mandatory bond scheme – where the state promises to pay back the money with interest as and when it can.
The idea is that such a “capital levy” – a one-off wealth tax – would only benefit the economy as it would not reduce all-important consumer demand. Reasonable personal allowances would be drawn up to make sure the tax does not impoverish people, and there would be measures to protect businesses.
But could such a tactic destroy trust and faith in the system? Would it encourage rich people to hide their wealth, or even leave the country? Is it the kind of ‘eat the rich’ solution offered up in student debates?
A writer at the Frankfurter Rundschau argued that those hit by the levy would also be those who would most benefit most from a stabilisation of the financial system and expensive bank bailouts.
Would it be fair to expect the wealthiest among us to contribute to keeping the national debt to sustainable levels and so help keep the crisis from crossing Germany’s borders? Or would Germany be shooting itself in the foot?
Registered users of The Local may add their comments in the field below. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here – it’s free and only takes a moment.
The Local/hc
- Campaign finances
Money in, money out
Wonder whose donating and where that money goes? Search the senate candidates' recent finance reports:
Senate Campaign Finance Report (July)
Money is the Most Important Thing in Life -- Debate 5
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Arguments in Favor:
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