High tax on gambling will kill industry and render many jobless – Daily Nation

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Sunday June 18 2017 In Summary Advertisement

As one of the strongest gambling markets in Africa, Kenya has attracted several investors, with some even expanding to international markets.

The passage of Finance Bill, 2017 with the Presidents recommendation to impose 35 per cent tax charge across the board might kill the local industry.

The current rates are 12 per cent, 5 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 15 per cent for casinos, lotteries, betting and prize competitions sub-sectors, respectively.

The new rate poses a negative trajectory in the sectors sustainability.

Businesses will toil more to meet the increased tax obligation while also paying 30 per cent corporation tax.

We have seen gaps in Cap 131 of the laws of Kenya.

The Finance Bill, with its numerous amendments, is not alive to the modern realities of gaming in the country.

We have also noted that 35 per cent tax is the highest on gambling. Uganda leads at 35 per cent roofed tax.

Gambling is a worldwide phenomenon. Its a form of business, entertainment and tourist attraction.

Any attempt by government to block people from taking part in this activity on the table will create a leeway for them to go underground, which is more harmful.

Of course consumer issues are very many and complex.

This is especially true in a developing country like ours, where we are yet to sort out the numerous legal and structural issues and where enforcement of laws is, at times, wanting.

Coupled with high unemployment, we certainly have a tough environment to manage.

Gaming or gambling cannot be an income-generating activity for the punters. It should be done for leisurejust like alcohol or such other consumption activities or products.

We should not kill an industry just because there are some elements in it that we dont like. We need to strike a balance. We obviously need to tax it, but do so unreasonably.

Much as we dont want the industry to die, however, we also wouldnt wish harm on the public. So we want to strike a middle ground.

Regulations or taxes to the industry should not end up killing investments in it or fail to leave room for others to join. Self-regulation will also not happen and may even hinder healthy competition.

This industry employs many people. Of late, some betting firms have invested in sports promotion.

Most players will be scared away and a number of Kenyans rendered jobless.

Our problem, therefore, lies in addressing the social problems emanating from gaming.

We foresee a situation where many operators close shop and venture into other, open prime markets.

The leisure of visiting casinos will die, depriving the Treasury of the much-needed tax revenues.

At the same time, banning activities in the industry would encourage illegal trade.

While we support the governments position to set up a fund from money earned through gaming taxes to fund youth projects, if the said taxes are set on the roof it will kill the industry instead.

Japheth Ogutu, Executive Director, Consumer Downtown Association (CDA), Nairobi.

Kikuyu MPKimani Ichungwasaid the regulation is irregular and illegal.

Mr Tuju last week called upon NCIC to bring Mr Odinga to book.

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High tax on gambling will kill industry and render many jobless - Daily Nation

Euthanasia Poll Conducted for Voluntary Euthanasia Society – Scoop.co.nz

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Monday, 19 June 2017, 9:32 am Press Release: Right To Life New Zealand Inc

Right to Life questions the findings of this latest Horizon poll conducted on behalf of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society NZ. The question was worded to obtain the result the Voluntary Euthanasia Society wanted.

The Horizon poll found 75 per cent of the 1300 people surveyed favoured a law change to allow the terminally ill and people with irreversible unbearable suffering to be helped to end their lives peacefully.

The poll question disguises the reality that euthanasia entails a doctor giving a lethal injection to a patient or assisting in the patients suicide. There is a considerable difference between a doctor killing a patient and ethical and lawful palliative care, where a doctor provides medical treatment to allow a patient to die peacefully.

It is incorrect for the Voluntary Euthanasia Society to claim that this poll is proof that the majority of New Zealanders support the law being changed to allow a doctor to kill a patient or assist in their suicide.

Right to Life believes that the majority of New Zealanders reject euthanasia, this is proven by the careful analysis of the unprecedented 21,277 written submissions made to the Parliamentary Health Select Committee that is currently dealing with the euthanasia petition of the Hon Maryan Street. A careful analysis of all the written submissions, revealed that 16,411, 77 per cent were opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia. This analysis remains as the most authentic poll on the attitude of New Zealanders to assisted suicide and doctors giving a lethal injection to a patient. Members of Parliament should not be enticed by this misleading poll to support the contentious End of Life Choice bill of David Seymour MP, leader of ACT.

Scoop Media

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Euthanasia Poll Conducted for Voluntary Euthanasia Society - Scoop.co.nz

Both parties responsible for economic failings – Alpena News

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When I was younger I once woke up to a bright light, and people around me saying, Dont duck on an uppercut.

I remember that when I discuss the illiterate economic policies by which Republicans and Democrats afflict society. Neoliberal economics was dubbed in the mid-30s by Milton Friedman as a purer form of Adam Smiths opinions. Originally promoted by Republicans as cheap sophistry with which to fleece the great unwashed, it was later adopted by the elite, backstabbing faction of the allegedly workers Democratic Party. It has manifested in the Chicago School, trickle down, voodoo, varieties of junk and supply side economics with the Laufer curve, etc.

Hiding out in contorted vocabulary, obfuscating left and right, the main idea is The Wealth of Nations is holy writ and the market a divinely inspired manifestation of the superior entitlement of rich over everybody else. Failure to recognize that assumption is jealous apostasy from those assigned by moral failing to keep society going through actual work. Devoid of empirical justification, the neoliberal cult thrives on a liturgy invoking the market, invisible hand, austerity, balanced budget, privatization, etc. The common good is a curse to neoliberals. Republican neoliberals who actually read consume approved selections from Adam Smith and Ayn Rand, while Democratic neoliberals read Adam Smith and Kafka. Democrats have substantially avoided Randian moral contamination, while Republicans have been seduced by it, and the education system is sufficiently sabotaged by knowledge aversion to keep people voting for both parties.

We now seem headed for a plague of privatization, selling societys assets at firesale prices to predators, removing protections from market manipulation by elite institutions, derecognizing labor rights, and another disaster candidate from corrupt DNC that opposes universal health care.

Another replay of 1929 and 2008? Duh. Dont duck on an uppercut.

Bob Greene CPC

Alpena

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Conservative liberalism – Wikipedia

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Conservative liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or, more simply, representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.[1] It is a more positive and less radical variant of classical liberalism.[2] Conservative liberal parties tend to combine market liberal policies with more traditional stances on social and ethical issues.[specify][3]

"Instead of following progressive liberalism [i.e. social liberalism] Robert Kraynak, a professor at Colgate University, writes , conservative liberals draw upon pre-modern sources, such as classical philosophy (with its ideas of virtue, the common good, and natural rights), Christianity (with its ideas of natural law, the social nature of man, and original sin), and ancient institutions (such as common law, corporate bodies, and social hierarchies). This gives their liberalism a conservative foundation. It means following Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Edmund Burke rather than Locke or Kant; it usually includes a deep sympathy for the politics of the Greek polis, the Roman Republic, and Christian monarchies. But, as realists, conservative liberals acknowledge that classical and medieval politics cannot be restored in the modern world. And, as moralists, they see that the modern experiment in liberty and self-government has the positive effect of enhancing human dignity as well as providing an opening (even in the midst of mass culture) for transcendent longings for eternity. At its practical best, conservative liberalism promotes ordered liberty under God and establishes constitutional safeguards against tyranny. It shows that a regime of liberty based on traditional morality and classical-Christian culture is an achievement we can be proud of, rather than merely defensive about, as trustees of Western civilization."[4]

In the European context, conservative liberalism should not be confused with liberal conservatism, which is a variant of conservatism combining conservatives views with liberal policies in regards to the economy, social, and ethical issues.[3][5] The roots of conservative liberalism are to be found at the beginning of the history of liberalism. Until the two world wars, in most European countries the political class was formed by conservative liberals, from Germany to Italy. The events such as World War I occurring after 1917 brought the more radical version of classical liberalism to a more conservative (i.e. more moderate) type of liberalism.[6] Conservative liberal parties have tended to develop in those European countries where there was no strong secular conservative party and where the separation of church and state was less of an issue. In those countries, where the conservative parties were Christian-democratic, this conservative brand of liberalism developed.[1][7]

In the United States, according to Peter Lawler, a professor at Berry College, neoconservatives might be classified as conservative liberals: "[...] in America today, responsible liberalswho are usually called neoconservativessee that liberalism depends on human beings who are somewhat child-centered, patriotic, and religious. These responsible liberals praise these non-individualistic human propensities in an effort to shore up liberalism. One of their slogans is 'conservative sociology with liberal politics.' The neoconservatives recognize that the politics of free and rational individuals depends upon a pre-political social world that is far from free and rational as a whole."[8] In the American context, conservative liberalism, as well as liberal conservatism, should not be confused with libertarian conservatism, influenced by right-libertarianism.

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Conservative liberalism - Wikipedia

Even Liberals Are Worried About Liberal Extremism – Fox News Insider

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Experts on extremism are increasingly shifting their focus from right-wing extremism to what they see as a rise of violence on the left, according to a new report.

"The past few months have seen enough of a rise in politically motivated violence from the far left that monitors of right-wing extremism have begun shifting their focus, and sounding the alarm," a report on Vice.com said.

Liberal violence has seen an uptick since President Trump was elected.

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The subject of left-wing violence reared its head last week after a Bernie Sanders supporter opened fire on congressional Republicans playing baseball last Wednesday, injuring five including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).

At UC Berkeley earlier this year, protesters started fires, attacked crowds of people, and smashed property.

Left-wing extremism is nothing new, the Vice.com report admitted, citing the Black Panthers and Weather Underground.

What were seeing is the democratization of extremism and the tactics of radicalism," said Brian Levin, former New York City police officer anddirector of California State University's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Levin added that his warnings about the rising tensions have been dismissed in the past.

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Even Liberals Are Worried About Liberal Extremism - Fox News Insider

The state of my dangerous liberal rhetoric will remain strong and loud – Daily Kos

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First of all, its not like this is really a new argument theGOP has decided to put forward following this shooting. Just a few days prior, Eric Trump railed about the hate that has been heaped on him and his father following a report that The Donald had been skimming money from Erics charity foundation directly into his own pockets.

In reviewing filings from the Eric Trump Foundation and other charities, it's clear that the course wasn't free--that the Trump Organization received payments for its use, part of more than $1.2 million that has no documented recipients past the Trump Organization. Golf charity experts say the listed expenses defy any reasonable cost justification for a one-day golf tournament.

Additionally, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has come under previous scrutiny for self-dealing and advancing the interests of its namesake rather than those of charity, apparently used the Eric Trump Foundation to funnel $100,000 in donations into revenue for the Trump Organization.

Erics response to this report, which came from that dirty rotten hippy publication Forbes,was to argue that All Morality is gone and these are not even people. But its actually more telling to listen to what else he said because he made this not just personal, but into a specific target attack on the entire Democratic agenda in general.

Asked by host Hannity, Dont you wish you went to Washington so you could deal with this everyday? the presidents son sneered at Democrats.

Ive never seen hatred like this, he responded. To me, theyre not even people. It is so so sad.

Morality is just gone, he continued. Morals have flown out the window. We deserve so much better than this as a country. Its so sad you see the Democratic Party and they are imploding. Theyre imploding, they have no message. You see the head of the DNC who is a total whack-job. Theres no leadership there. And so what do they do? They become obstructionists because they have no message of their own.

Democrats are obstructionists because they have no message of their own? Frankly, the Republicans and the president havent even taken the first steps to try and reach out to Democrats on anything. Demsactually do have some fairly specific proposals on healthcare, but instead congressional Republicans passed a bill without their inputdespite a horrible CBO score and now the Senate Republicans are doing the same thing almost literally under the cover of night using a secret bill that no one has even seen.

I would argue that our agenda is to remain part of the Paris Climate Accord, to further investments in, and support of, clean and renewable energy sources rather than gut them as Trump has threatened, to retain and repair the Affordable Care Act rather than repeal it, to strive to make college affordable if not free, to address the opioid crises by increasing access to treatment rather than cutting that funding, to increase mobility for workers whove lost their jobs by helping them retrain for newly emerging industries rather than cutting that funding orgutting worker safety rules, we would prefer to continue to investigate and reform abusive police departments rather than ignore them and shut down effectivecivil rights enforcementand that stating ourpositions or pointing out Trumps legal and ethical failings doesnt come from a place of hate. It comes from a place of truth.

Most peopledon't criticize Donald Trump because they hate him, obviously excluding the contractors he repeatedly ripped offand women who have accused him of sexual assault,its because they love America and seriously fear what he seems intent on doing to it, and for that matter the rest of the world.

But now, after lastweeks shooting we have Congressional Republicans complaining that their constituents have come up to them and angrily said that theyre trying to get people killed [by repealing the ACA.] They argue thats not fair, and thats just so so mean.

Yeah, well, math, facts and commonsense show that between 25,000-36,000 people per year will likely die if the ACA is repealed without a viable replacement:

Uninsured adults are at least 25 percent more likely to die prematurely than adults who have private insurance. See state-level breakdowns of the 26,100 people between the ages of 25 and 64 who died prematurely due to a lack of health insurance in 2010.

Nearly 36,000 people could die every year, year after year, if the incoming president signs legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act.

This figure is based on new data from the Urban Institute examining how many people will become uninsured if the law is repealed, as well as a study of mortality rates both before and after the state of Massachusetts enacted health reforms similar to Obamacare.

So when people say this, they arent beingmean,theyre being factual. This is not hate speech, thisis criticism. Fact-based criticism.

Civility is generally a good thing. But something I thinkbeing more civil isnt whats really being asked here. Yes, of course, we should focus and be critical of theissues and, where reasonable, refrain from demonizing any particular faction or group. But IMO thats not what these Republicans are asking for.Whats being asked isfor liberals to simplyshut up, and then all will be well.

I dont speak for anyone but myself, but I can pretty much guarantee thats. not. gonna. happen.

After the many previous mass shootings that have plagued the nation, the complaint from the right has typically beenNow is not the time to make things politicalwhen people mention that perhaps the reason so many people are getting killed by guns, might have something to do with the prevalence of guns themselves. In response, theyve often argued that this critiqueis an attack on everyones SecondAmendment Rights. Asking for trigger locks is too much. Asking for comprehensive background checks is too much. Our rights are clearly more important than the lives lost.

It doesnt matter that America averages 33,000 deaths per year as a result of firearms.It doesnt matter that over 60% of those deathsare suicides by people who are perfectly legal gun owners, not criminals, not gangbangers, not terrorists. Itdoesn't matter that the Alexandria shooting was the 154th mass shooting so far this year, and not even the only mass shooting to occur that same day.It doesnt matter that this particular shooter was a legal gun owner, who had a history of violence against women and perhaps that has as much do with his final actions as anything specifically political. We maynever really going to know for sure what his motivations truly were.

But none of that matters because we have to protect our rights, damnit.

Now were told that the real problem isnt that we have more guns in the nation than we have people, its because some people have the nerve to use their First Amendment rights totalk too much and that theyare just too vulgar.

Talking with Fox News, Gingrich pointed fingers at left-wing hysteria that he says has exploded ever since President Donald Trumps election last fall, as evidenced by Kathy Griffins latest stunt in which she held up a likeness of Trumps severed head.

The intensity on the left is very real, Gingrich said. Whether its a so-called comedian holding up the presidents head in blood, or its right here, in New York City, a play that shows the president being assassinated. Or its Democratic leading national politicians who are so angry they have to use vulgarity because they cant find any common language.

Right, so Kathy Griffins joke-failwiththe fake Trump head that hadblood coming out of his wherever and Senator Gillibrand dropping anF-Bomb is why a guygrabbed a gun and went after Republicans?

Remind me exactly who was it that invited Ted Nugentwho once said Hillary Clinton was a Worthless BitchandBarack Obama was a piece of shit and that heand Eric Holder needed their heads chopped off and Hillary Clinton should be hangedto the White House for dinner again?

Then again, maybe its all the fault of Shakespeare?

[Don] Trump Jr. retweeted a report about those witness claims, and he also approved another tweet by a conservative commentator linking the shootings to a recent production of Shakespeares Julius Caesar that depicted the presidents assassination.

Because its not like somebodythought to do the same thing, a modern day version of Julius Ceasar including the assassination of the head of state, when Obama was president.

Except that they did in 2012.

While Delta Air Lines and Bank of America have dropped their sponsorships of New Yorks Public Theater over a President Trump-inspired staging of Shakespeares Julius Caesar, corporate sponsors at the Guthrie Theater had no public reaction to a 2012 staging that featured a black actor in the role of Caesar.

Caesar is stabbed to death in the middle of the play.

I am a person that believes that hateful rhetoric can sometimes inspirenegative outcomes, so Im not ignoring the center of their concern.But I do think theres a difference between strong rhetoric and violently dangerous hateful rhetoric. Theres a difference between strong speech built on facts and hate speech built on lies, and I have my doubts that many ofthe Republicans really know that difference at all.Theyre just using this tragedy as an opportunity to attack the First Amendment rights of those they oppose while taking no responsibility of their own.

For example, there was the time this guy showed up a pizza parlor because someone was promoting a totallyfalse story that Hillary Clinton and John Podestawerelinked to a child prostitution ring. And Imnot just saying he was there because of thatstory.He said he was there with a gun because of that story.

A North Carolina man was arrested Sunday after he walked into a popular pizza restaurant in Northwest Washington carrying an assault rifle and fired one or more shots, D.C. police said. The man told police he had come to the restaurant to self-investigate a false election-related conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton that spread online during her presidential campaign.

I for one do not recall Republicans criticizing the deliberate spreading of this false story and finding fault with the media outlets that pushed it without having a shred of proof.But now, today we have this:

Fox News anchor Melissa Francis then played a clip from Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) who said some of his best friends are Democrats and that the House passes a lot of bipartisan legislation, but its the major issues that lead to political discourse that has in my opinion, led to such an uptick in just hateful, hateful rhetoric of all sides, and I stand here today and say stop. We have to stop.

BERGMAN: I agree with Rodney wholeheartedly in that the hateful rhetoric serves no positive purpose. In fact, today it served a negative purpose. But unfortunately, and Im looking at all the media in the eye when I say this: friendships and cordial relationships dont make good news. So I can tell you, especially as the president of the freshman class of Republicans, we are united along with our Democratic freshman counterparts to bring civility back to the 115th Congress.

FRANCIS: So you think its the medias fault?

BERGMAN: I think the media is complicit if they keep inciting, as opposed to informing.

The media areinciting instead of informing? You mean inciting like telling people what the CBO score for Trumpcare is?Yeah, okay.

I just have to say Im skeptical of Republicans who claim they really want to stop all the hateful, hateful rhetoric on all sides.Its not like we heard all this Kumbahyah talk when it was suggested that somebody may have helpedincite violence against dozens of congressional offices by using a map placing targets on their districtsI didnt hear Republicans saying people shouldnt do that.

Gabrielle GIffords is who said it.

On April 23, 2010, an angry phone call came into a congressmans office in Tucson, Arizona. The voice on the line was a male, on the young side, brimming with fury over immigration. The caller announced he was going to come down there and blow the brains out of the congressman and his staff, an aide later recalled. Then the caller said he would do the same to Mexicans crossing the border. Minutes later, police evacuated the offices of Rep. Ral Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat whose congressional district sits immediately to the west of Gabrielle Giffords. [...]

As several media outlets reported, the door to Giffords Tucson congressional office was vandalized last March after her vote in favor of the health-care bill. But the event that ratcheted up the violent chatter was the April signing of Senate Bill 1070, an Arizona law that gave local police broad powers to discover illegal immigrants.

As shown by the above video, it was Gabriel Giffords herself who brought up the issue of the crosshairs map before she was ultimately shot in head, and fiveothers persons were killed, by a crazed shooter in Tucson later that year.

But rather than denounce rhetoric that actually did promoteviolence and vandalismat the time, instead what we heard back then was Blood Libel.An argument based on the ideathat Giffordsherself pointingout the incitement, was itself asource of the incitement.

To his credit Rep. Steve Scalise himself had much better things to say about Giffords than Palin did.

Still as a result of all this, I dont take these fresh newplatitudes all that seriously. I reallydont think theyre sincere because there have been plenty of chances for that sincerity to be shown, and repeatedly they have failed.

We didnt hearthis call for civility and unity from the GOPafter Sandy Hook which Trump-pal Alex Jones says was a false flag and Paul Ryan said Obama was only talking about it to distract from his failed policies,not after the Holocaust Museum Shooter who was planning to target David Axelrod, or the Knoxville Unitarian Church Shooter,which was an attack on liberals inspired by a book from a frequent OReilly guest, or Dylann Roofs murder spree in Charleston in reaction to the trial of George Zimmerman and right-wing rhetoric about excessive black violencepushed by the CCC and oftenshown on Bill OReillysprogram, or the attempted attack on the Oakland ACLU and Tides Foundation inspired by the overblownrhetoric of Glenn Beck about those organizations, or the Las Vegas cop killers who were from the Bundy compoundand said they wanted to spark a revolution against the government, orthe attack on Planned Parenthood inspired a by phony video by right-wing anti-abortion activists, or the Alt-Reich Nation killer who knifed ROTC Cadet Lt. Richard Collins to death earlier this year, or the Sikh Temple shooter who mistakenly thought the worshiperswere Muslim, or last months terrorist in Portland who killed two bystanders with a knife after harassing a pair of Muslim girls, or the more1,000 Hate crimes that sparked up immediately after Trumps election.

Im not holding my breath that things are suddenly gonna get all unity-like because Rep. Scalise was shot in the hip.Hopefully, he and all the rest recoversafely.But Im terribly sorry I just cant take empty meaningless platitudes like thisseriously.

Or this.

To which I say...

Sure Im a skeptic, but Im not a cynic. Im not saying theres absolutely no hope.If the GOP can take responsibility and apologize for their ownparticipation in this escalating rhetoricthe way that Kathy Griffin apologized within hoursI just might believe them. Maybe.

I might believe the GOP was sincere about harsh rhetoric if it had came up when Trump was saying "KNOCK THE CRAPOUT OF THEM!" tohis rally crowds.

I might believe the GOP was sincere aboutharsh rhetoric if it came up when Trump was saying "I'll pay for your lawyers fees" to beat protesters.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoricif it came up when Trump said 3-5 million illegal votes were cast against him.

I might believe the GOP was sincere about harsh rhetoric if they didn't lie about "Voter Fraud" while gerrymandering and suppressing the Democraticand minorityvote.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoricif it came up when Trump said Judge Curiel was too racist a Mexican to make a fair decision.

I might believe the GOP was sincere about harsh rhetoric if it came up when Trump said Gold Star Father Khazir Khan was allied with ISIS.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoricif it came up when Trump said Mexicans were rapists, killers and criminals. And some, a few, were good people.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoric if it they had ever said the same thing to #AltRightbigoted so-called free speech championtrolls like Miloor Richard Spencer.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoricif it they ever recognized a terrorist when he's a white guy andhis victims are liberal, black or Muslim.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoric if, when Russia wageda CyberWar against America, they wouldnt stick their heads in the sand or else#BlameObama for something he once said to Medvedev.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoric if they didn't call the findings of all 17 intelligence agencies and the investigation of18 different mysterious contacts with Russians a "witch hunt."

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoric if people likeJason Miller werent calling Senator Kamala Harris "hysterical" for asking Jeff Sessionstough questions.

I might believe the GOP was sincereabout harsh rhetoric if it came up when Eric Trump was saying his fathers critics were"not even people."

I might believe the GOP was sincere about harsh rhetoricif so many of them hadntsaid Barack Obama was an illegal alien with a falsified birth certificate, anillegitimate president, a secret Muslim, an Arab,the anti-Christ, a communist, a socialist, a liar, a criminal, a drug dealer, a welfare thug-in-chief, a food-stampPresident, was incompetent, was the founder ofISIS,a fraud, aradical black liberation theology Kenyan Mau Mau revolutionist anti-colonial who simply wasnt smart enough to get into Harvard or become editor of theHarvard Law Review without affirmative action, who neededBill Ayers to ghost-writehis own best-selling book about his own life and fatherbecause hereallyhated America and all it stood forandwhen they werefeeling boldwas really justanother lazynigger.

But none of that has happened. Not yet. We havent heard an apology for any of it either. Im not expecting we will.

As a result I have no intention of backing off the Republicans or Trumpwith what I have to say about them or their policies one iota.I will not be giving them an inch. The state of my dangerously factual liberal rhetoric will remain strong, and it will remain loud.

And to be honest, I lied, Im not sorry about it at all. Not even slightly.

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The state of my dangerous liberal rhetoric will remain strong and loud - Daily Kos

Even de Blasio thinks proposed surveillance bill is too liberal – New York Post

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A City Council bill that would force the NYPD to reveal its anti-terror tools and tactics is too liberal even for the citys left-leaning mayor who charged Sunday the act would create a roadmap for the bad guys.

If we start to lay out everything we do to gather information to fight crime and fight terrorism, if we lay that out too publicly and in too much detail, unfortunately, it provides a roadmap for the bad guys. And I am not ever going to be comfortable with that, Mayor de Blasio told John Catsimatidis on his 970-AM radio show.

There are a lot of people gunning to hurt New York City, and we are not going to help them do it by giving them the kind of information that would only make our enemies stronger.

The councils Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology Act would require the NYPD to issue reports on what kinds of spy gadgets it uses like cell-phone trackers and X-ray vans used to peer through walls as well as how cops store and protect the private information theyve collected.

Sixteen Council members are currently sponsoring the bill, but it would need the backing of 34 to override a mayoral veto.

The NYPDs counterterror chief John Miller also trashed the bill on Catsimatidis show, where he said the plan would be a disaster that puts cops lives in danger.

It would allow criminals to learn way too much, way too easily, Miller said.

Its one-stop shopping one website where we would post everything we use and what the limitations on it were and what it was for.

Council members Dan Garodnick (D-Manhattan) and Vanessa Gibson (D-Bronx) introduced the bill, but Miller claimed it was probably written by activists under the nutty belief that the NYPD is surveying innocent people.

Nobody is going to call the ACLU down to the City Council or Congress because we have a terrorist attack, Miller said.

That is going to be me at that table with the police commissioner and the chief of detectives answering those questions.

De Blasio agreed that cops are already sticking to the law when gathering intelligence.

The NYPD uses tools to gain information, there are clear stipulations to make sure everything is done constitutionally and legally. Theres clear internal oversight, the mayor said.

Police Commissioner James ONeill also railed against the bill Friday, tweeting that the NYPD is vehemently opposed.

It provides terrorists, criminals, & others with a roadmap on how to harm #USA, he wrote.

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Even de Blasio thinks proposed surveillance bill is too liberal - New York Post

Obama-Era FCC Caught Red-Handed Giving Preferential Treatment To Liberal Groups – The Daily Caller

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A high-level employee at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2014 appeared to give leaders of liberal-leaning groups preferential treatment for posting and publicizing comments on the agencys public forum for the net neutrality debate.

Details of the highly friendly support were firstdescribedby then-The Washington Posts Nancy Scola, who referred to it as an unusual collaboration in an in-depth report on the FCCs filing system. Those details became significantlymore incriminating after Mike Wendy, directorof the market-oriented nonprofit MediaFreedom, recentlyreceived once-classified piecesof electronic communications years after he filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Wendy alleges that, along with other conservative organizations, they were not given the same effortful and enthusiastic treatment their liberal counterpartsreceived.

The FCC hosted a period in 2014 where anyone could submit feedback on so-called net neutrality, a nebulous term loosely defined as the principle that internet service providers have no right to discriminate against certain forms of traffic (like spam), nor to offer faster speeds to higher-paying customers. For supporters(usually liberal), it means all traffic receives equal treatment. For critics (usually conservative), net neutrality is a government takeover that prevents companies from investing in faster infrastructure.The FCC at the time invited people to publish their thoughts about net neutrality on the public filing system in an attempt to have the rule-making process for internet regulationas democratic as possible. But how democratic and equal that process was can now be called into question.

Our biggest focus right now is making sure everyones comments get submitted and counted,Holmes Wilson, presumably the same person who is the co-founder of Fight for the Future, wrote in an emailto at least three other people who worked for the agency in some respect.

Gigi Sohn, a top counselor tothen-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, responded using her official agency email address.

Thanks so much to all of you for your efforts, Sohnwrote. Well do our best and keep our fingers crossed too! Ill be out of town tomorrow, but will be checking emails,and (sic)David and Sagar will be at your service.

Sohnnot only provided assistance for technical issues, but also publicizedthe advocacy groups purportedly authentic numbers.

Just a note that weve got 500k or so more comments that were held up by server issues today. It would be great if you could pass press on to us for the real number,Wilson said in anemail.

Can you tweet from @fcc early today, something like: The FCC server has had problems with the large number of comments, so the number on the docket website is not the official number. Well have an official number soon, Wilson askedin a separate email dated September 11th, 2014, at around 10:26 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

Not long after, the government agency obliged.

(Mike Wendys screenshot of former FCC spokespersons social media post)

Marvin Ammori, a board member for liberal groups Fight for The Future and Demand Progress, and David Segal, an active liberal political activist, also appeared to closely collaborate with Sohn, as evident in the emails Wendy obtained and published. (RELATED: Net Neutrality Activists Tied To Violent Groups, Convicted Al-Qaida Terrorist)

(Screenshot of a tweet from Marvin Ammori, including Wendy and others replies)

I was very surprised that they agreed to take an outside groups comment count or request to promote the number of comments coming in via social media, Katie McAuliffe, federal affairs manager at Americans for Tax Reform, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. I would never have asked or expected to receive special treatment on comment counts, particularly having the FCC post a tweet drafted for them.

Aside from the ease with which the FCC agreed to say almost exactly what the liberal groupswanted to be said, providing assistance evento the great extent FCC officials gave is not a problem in itself. But leaders of other right leaningorganizations, like Wendy and Phil Kerpen of the advocacy group American Commitment, said they were barely even able to get their foot in the door.

When our side decided to engage in the clicktivism battle, we tried to sort of use the same tactics to drive massive public comments, Kerpen told TheDCNF. But becausethe FCCs public filing system was so antiquated as Scola and others including people at the FCC have corroborated to TheDCNF comments supporting both sides of the debate were not able to make it to the platform for all to see.

Our team got some help from low-level FCC employees who kind of answered the phone the way anyone just calling in would, Kerpen explained. But we certainly didnt get any kind of high-level assistance from high-level staffers managing media requests and helping to shape a narrative.

Wendycan attest to Kerpens frustrations. He says he contemporaneously wrote respective, but similar letters to the FCC inspector general and Wheeler to investigate the facts around Scolas story. After several failed attempts to get a sufficient response to his inquiries for more information, he continued re-crafting his FOIAappeal. Wendysays the FOIA officer he was working with was helpful. He blames the FCC Office of the Inspector General for being difficult and purposefully withholdingthe informationfrom him in spite ofphysically visiting itsheadquarters at one point.

Kerpen believes that the level of service and assistance was completely one-sided because the FCC wanted to help them reach the predetermined outcome of their process.

What upsets Kerpen and Wendy even more is that the FCC isntsupposedto be political. Rather, it is to be an independent expert agency that makes decisions based on data, facts, economics and the law. Since specific staff members at the FCC, like Sohn, essentially bended over backwards tohelp one side but failed to help others with different political views, they believe the agency rendered itself partial and subservient.

Whiletheunusual collaboration occurred roughly three years ago, it quite aptly applies to happenings related tothe contemporary FCC. The same exact battle for which one side of the debate has the most comments is currently a hot-button issue (even though the degree to which it will ultimately affectpolicy is dubious). When the newly-led FCC opened a new forum for public comments months ago, like clockwork, a measuring competition started again. Both far-left advocacy groups and conservative organizations are clamoring over who hasmore comments supporting their arguments in order to boast about who has the public behind them.

In 2014 at least, its fairly clear that regardless of who actually garnered more comments in their favor, the FCConly helped one side, the liberals.

The DCNF reached out toHolmes, Sohn, Ammori, Segal and others mentioned or involved in the disclosed emails for comment, but they did not respond.

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Obama-Era FCC Caught Red-Handed Giving Preferential Treatment To Liberal Groups - The Daily Caller

NYTimes downplays role of liberal politics in baseball shooter’s motive but emphasizes ‘anti-Muslim’ Portland stabber – TheBlaze.com

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The New York Times was criticized over the weekend after running a story where the paper seemingly tried to rewrite the motives of James Hodgkinson, the lone gunman who is responsible for the ambush shooting on congressional Republicans last week.

While the motive behind the attack will likely never be known, most believe hyper-partisan politics are to blame. After all, Hodgkinson only attacked Republicans and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) continues to fight for his life in the hospital after being gravely injured from a bullet fired by Hodgkinson.

Indeed, when authorities confirmed last Wednesday that Hodgkinson was the shooter, the 66-year-olds social media postings began to be heavily scrutinized because they painted a clear picture: Hodgkinson was a stalwart supporter of socialist politics and had a deep hatred for President Donald Trump and Republicans.

Despite the wealth of evidence that supports the motive being partisan hatred, the Times on Saturday attempted to paint a much different picture: that Hodgkinson attacked the congressmen because he was an unstable man and it had nothing to do with politics.

The storys headline emphasizes that idea: Before the Gunfire in Virginia, a Volatile Home Life in Illinois.

The story said:

No one can truly know what motivates a man to drive halfway across the country, live out of his car as Mr. Hodgkinson apparently did and attempt a mass killing of members of Congress. In the days since the shooting, much has been made of Mr. Hodgkinsons strong political views he was an ardent supporter of Senator Bernie Sanderss bid for the 2016 presidential nomination, and he railed against President Trump and Republicans in Washington on his Facebook page and in letters to the editor of the local newspaper.

But another aspect of his personality may have also presaged the shooting: his troubled home life.

The story goes on to say that Hodgkinson likely suffered from some sort of mental illness and his political beliefs had little to do with his desire to target only congressional Republicans, even quoting a local Democratic staffer who categorically denied that Hodgkinson ever volunteered for them.

The paper then went on to describe in detail Hodgkinsons life as a foster parent and detailed the much darker moments of his life like one instance of domestic abuse and the decision of one foster child to commit suicide.

And while it is helpful for investigators to know Hodgkinsons background in order to develop a better understanding of who the shooter was, the Times story seemingly ignores what most others dont, including one of Hodgkinsons Illinois neighbors, who told the paper that while life moved on for other people following the 2016 election, the election never ended for Hodgkinson.

People voiced their criticisms of the paper on Twitter:

One person even tweeted to one of the storys authors that the Times is playing to its base with the story:

The author then said the story was just journalism, before being accused of trying to cover up the shooters actual motive:

But, of course, the Times doesnt always try to whitewash the ideological beliefs of people who commit atrocities.

Last month, when a racist man killed two people on a Portland commuter train, the Times emphasized the fact that the perpetrator was racist and had anti-Muslim views.

One story read: Three Men Stood Up to Anti-Muslim Attack. Two Paid With Their Lives.

Another was headlined: Oregon Man Accused of Deadly Anti-Muslim Tirade Continues Rant in Court.

And even another: Two Killed in Portland While Trying to Stop Anti-Muslim Rant, Police Say.

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NYTimes downplays role of liberal politics in baseball shooter's motive but emphasizes 'anti-Muslim' Portland stabber - TheBlaze.com

Coming Liberal bills to reform Access to Information, national security measures – rdnewsnow.com

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OTTAWA TheTrudeau government plans to cap the spring sitting of Parliament withlong-awaited legislation on Access to Information andnational security bills unlikely to be debated by MPs inaserious way until the fall.

With just days left before MPs are slated to retreat to their ridings for the summer, the bills will at the very least signal the government's intention tofulfil key promises.

The government had promised an initialwave of changes to the Access to Information Act by the end of winter what Treasury Board President Scott Brison called "early wins" on overhauling theantiquatedlaw intended to give Canadians access tofederal files.

Theplanned amendments included giving the information commissioner the power to order release of government records and ensuring the access law applies to the offices of the prime minister, cabinet members and administrative institutions that support Parliament and the courts.

The pledge was considered an essential plank of the government platform on transparency designed to differentiate the Trudeau Liberals from Stephen Harper's Conservatives, who broke 2006 campaign promises tomodernize the access law.

In March, Brison's office cited the complex nature of the task in delaying the Liberal plans.

The bill to be introduced Monday by Brison, Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybouldcould be the first substantialset of amendmentsto the access law in 34 years. The government has also promised a full review of the law by 2018, and mandatory reviews every five years thereafter.

The Access to Information Act allows people who pay $5 to ask for everything from internal federal audits and meeting minutes to correspondence and studies. Departments are supposed to answer within 30 days or provide valid reasons why they need more time.

However, the system has beenalmost universallycriticized as slow,out of dateandbeset byloopholes that allow agencies to cling to information, including files more than half-a-century old.

In her recent annual report, information commissioner Suzanne Legault said the law was being used as a shield against transparency.

On Tuesday, the government plans to remodel several Conservative anti-terrorism measures and introduce newprovisions with a bill from Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale plainly titled "An Act respecting national security measures."

The extensive package of legislation will include more robust oversight of Canada's border agency, which has faced some pointed questions over issues including in-custody deaths.

In addition to new scrutiny for the Canada Border Services Agency, the billwill propose changesto ensure existing security watchdogscan exchange information and collaborate more easily on reviews.

The legislation will also follow through on Liberal promises during the last election torepeal "problematic elements" ofomnibus security legislation ushered in by the Conservatives after a gunman stormed Parliament Hill.

TheTrudeau governmenthascommitted to ensuringall CSIS warrants respect theCharter of Rights and Freedoms,to preserving legitimate protest and advocacy, and to definingterrorist propaganda moreclearly.

It has also pledged thatappeals by Canadians on the no-fly list will be subject to mandatory review.

The Liberals say the overall idea is to strike a balance that ensures security agencies have the tools they need to keep Canadians safe, while respecting the rights and freedoms of a democratic society.

Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press

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Fiscal Freedom | Prometheism.net – Part 27

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A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is a period used for calculating annual (yearly) financial statements in businesses and other organizations all over the world. In many jurisdictions, regulatory laws regarding accounting and taxation require such reports once per twelve months, but do not require that the period reported on constitutes a calendar year (that is, 1 January to 31 December). Fiscal years vary between businesses and countries. The fiscal year may also refer to the year used for income tax reporting.

The fiscal year end (FYE) is the date that marks the end of the fiscal year. Some companies choose to end their fiscal year such that it ends on the same day of the week each year, e.g. the day that is closest to a particular date (for example, the Friday closest to 31 December). Under such a system, some fiscal years will have 52 weeks and others 53 weeks. A major corporation that has adopted this approach is Cisco Systems.[1]

Nevertheless, the fiscal year is identical to the calendar year for about 65% of publicly traded companies in the United States and for a majority of large corporations in the UK[2] and elsewhere (with notable exceptions Australia, New Zealand and Japan).[3]

Many universities have a fiscal year which ends during the summer, both to align the fiscal year with the academic year (and, in some cases involving public universities, with the state governments fiscal year), and because the school is normally less busy during the summer months. In the northern hemisphere this is July in one year to June in the next year. In the southern hemisphere this is January to December of a single calendar year.

Some media/communication based organizations use a broadcast calendar as the basis for their fiscal year.

The fiscal year is usually denoted by the year in which it ends, so United States of America federal government spending incurred on 14 November 2016 would belong to fiscal year 2017, operating on a fiscal calendar of OctoberSeptember.[4]

The NFL uses the term league year, which in effect forms the leagues fiscal year. By rule, the fiscal year begins at 4 PM EDT on 10 March of each calendar year. All financial reports are based on each fiscal year. However, the fiscal year is denoted in the NFL by the year where it starts, not where it ends, unlike most designations.

In some jurisdictions, particularly those that permit tax consolidation, companies that are part of a group of businesses must use nearly the same fiscal year (differences of up to three months are permitted in some jurisdictions, such as the U.S. and Japan), with consolidating entries to adjust for transactions between units with different fiscal years, so the same resources will not be counted more than once or not at all.[citation needed]

In Afghanistan, the fiscal year was recently changed from 1 Hamal 29 Hoot (21 March 20 March) to 1 Jadi 30 Qaus (21 December 20 December). The fiscal year runs with the Afghan calendar, thus resulting in difference of the Gregorian dates once in a four-year span.[citation needed]

In Australia, the fiscal year or, more commonly, financial year, starts on 1 July and ends on 30 June. For personal income tax after the financial year ends, individuals have until 31 October to lodge their return (unless they use a tax agent).[5] This fiscal year definition is used both for official purposes and by the overwhelming majority of private enterprises, but this is not legally mandated.[6] A company may, for example, opt for a financial year that always ends at the end of a week (and therefore is not exactly one calendar year in length), or opt for each financial year to end on a different date to match the reporting cycles of its foreign parent.

In Austria the fiscal year is the calendar year, January 1st December 31st.

In Bangladesh, the fiscal year starts on 1 July and ends on 30 June.

In Belarus, the fiscal year starts on 1 January and ends on 31 December.

In Brazil, the fiscal year starts on 1 January and ends on 31 December. Citizens pay income tax (when needed) starting in May, but the form filling goes from March to April. All tax declarations must be done on-line using government written free software.[citation needed]

In Bulgaria, the fiscal year matches the calendar year both for personal income tax [7] and for corporate taxes.[8]

In Canada,[9] the governments financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March (Example 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 for the current financial year).

For individuals in Canada, the fiscal year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

The fiscal year for all entities starts on 1 January and ends 31 December, consistent with the calendar year, to match the tax year, statutory year, and planning year.[citation needed]

In Colombia, the fiscal year starts 1 January ending on 31 December. Yearly taxes are due in the middle of March/April for corporations while citizens pay income tax (when needed) starting in August, ending in September, according to the last 2 digits of the national ID.[citation needed]

The fiscal year in Costa Rica spans from 1 October until 30 September. Taxpayers are required to pay the tributes before 15 December of each year.[citation needed]

In the Arab Republic of Egypt, the fiscal year starts on 1 July and concludes on 30 June.[citation needed]

The fiscal year matches the calendar year, and has since at least 1911.[10]

In the Hellenic Republic, the fiscal year starts on 1 January and concludes on 31 December.

In Hong Kong,[11] the governments financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March (Example 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 for the current financial year).

In India, the governments financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March midnight. Example: 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 for the financial year 20162017. It is also abbreviated as FY17.[12][13]

Companies following the Indian Depositary Receipt (IDR) are given freedom to choose their financial year. For example, Standard Chartereds IDR follows the UK calendar despite being listed in India. Companies following Indian fiscal year get to know their economical health on 31 March of every Indian financial or fiscal year.

There was discussions by the newly formed NITI Aayog, in the month of July 2016,in a meeting organised by the PM Modi, that the next fiscal year may start from 1 January to 31 December after the end of the current five-year plan.[14]

In Iran, the fiscal year starts usually on March 21 (1st of Farvardin) and concludes on next years March 20 (29th of Esfand) in Solar Hijri calendar [15]

Ireland used the year ending 5 April until 2001 when it was changed, at the request of Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy, to match the calendar year (the 2001 tax year was nine months, from April to December)[citation needed]

Since 2002, it is aligned with the calendar year: 1 January to 31 December.[16]

In Israel the fiscal year is from 1 January until 31 December.[17]

In Italy the fiscal year was from 1 July to 30 June until 1965; now it is from 1 January until 31 December.[citation needed]

In Japan,[18] the governments financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. The fiscal year is represented by the calendar year in which the period begins, followed by the word nendo (); for example the fiscal year from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 is called 2016nendo.

Japans income tax year runs from 1 January to 31 December, but corporate tax is charged according to the corporations own annual period.[citation needed]

In Macau, the governments financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December (Example 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 for the current financial year).

In Mexico the fiscal year starts on January 1 and ends on December 31.

In Myanmar,[19] the fiscal year goes from 1 April to 31 March.

The fiscal year in Nepal starts from Shrawan 1 (4th month of Bikram calendar) and ends on Ashad 31 (3rd month of Bikram calendar). Shrawan 1 roughly falls on mid July.[20]

The New Zealand Governments fiscal[21] and financial reporting[22] year begins on 1 July and concludes on 30 June[23] of the following year and applies to the budget. The company and personal financial year[24] begins on 1 April and finishes on 31 March and applies to company and personal income tax.

The Pakistan Governments fiscal year starts on 1 July of the previous calendar year and concludes on 30 June. Private companies are free to observe their own accounting year, which may not be the same as Government of Pakistans fiscal year.[citation needed]

In Portugal the fiscal year starts on January 1 and ends on December 31.

The fiscal year matches the calendar year, and has since at least 1911.[10]

The fiscal year for the calculation of personal income taxes runs from 1 January to 31 December.[citation needed]

The fiscal year for the Government of Singapore and many government-linked corporations runs from 1 April to 31 March.[citation needed]

Corporations and organisations are permitted to select any date to mark the end of each fiscal year, as long as this date remains constant.[citation needed]

In South Africa the fiscal year for the Government of South Africa starts on 1 April and ends 31 March.[citation needed]

The year of assessment for individuals covers twelve months, beginning on 1 March and ending on the final day of February the following year. The Act also provides for certain classes of taxpayers to have a year of assessment ending on a day other than the last day of February. Companies are permitted to have a tax year ending on a date that coincides with their financial year. Many older companies still use a tax year that runs from 1 July to 30 June, inherited from the British system. A common practice for newer companies is to run their tax year from 1 March to the final day of February following, to synchronize with the tax year for individuals.[citation needed]

In South Korea(Republic of Korea) the fiscal year starts on 1 January and ends 31 December.[citation needed]

In Spain the fiscal year starts on 1 January and ends 31 December.[25]

The fiscal year for individuals runs from 1 January to 31 December.[26]

The fiscal year for an organisation is typically one of the following (cf. Swedish Wikipedia):

However, all calendar months are allowed. If an organisation wishes to change into a non-calendar year, permission from the Tax Authority is required.[27][28]

Under the Income Tax Act of Taiwan, the fiscal year commences on 1 January and ends on 31 December of each calendar year. However, an enterprise may elect to adopt a special fiscal year at the time it is established and can request approval from the tax authorities to change its fiscal year.[29]

The Thai governments fiscal year (FY) begins on 1 October and ends on 30 September of the following year.[30] FY2015 dates from 1 October 2014 30 September 2015. The Thai governments year for individual income tax is the calendar year (1 January 31 December)

In Ukraine, the fiscal year matches with the calendar year which starts on 1 January and ends 31 December.

In the United Arab Emirates, the fiscal year starts on 1 January and ends 31 December.[citation needed]

In the United Kingdom,[31] the financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March for the purposes of corporation tax[32] and government financial statements.[33] For the self-employed and others who pay personal tax the fiscal year starts on 6 April and ends on 5 April of the next calendar year.[34]

Although United Kingdom corporation tax is charged by reference to the governments financial year, companies can adopt any year as their accounting year: if there is a change in tax rate, the taxable profit is apportioned to financial years on a time basis.[citation needed]

A number of major corporations that were once government-owned, such as BT Group and the National Grid, continue to use the governments financial year, which ends on the last day of March, as they have found no reason to change since privatisation.[citation needed]

The 5 April year end for personal tax and benefits reflects the old ecclesiastical calendar, with New Year falling on 25 March (Lady Day), the difference being accounted for by the eleven days missed out when Great Britain converted from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 (the British tax authorities, and landlords were unwilling to lose 11 days of tax and rent revenue, so under provision 6 (Times of Payment of Rents, Annuities, &c.) of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, the 17523 tax year was extended by 11 days). From 1753 until 1799, the tax year in Great Britain began on 5 April, which was the old style new year of 25 March. A 12th skipped Gregorian leap day in 1800 changed its start to 6 April. It was not changed when a 13th Julian leap day was skipped in 1900, so the start of the personal tax year in the United Kingdom is still 6 April.[35][36][37]

The United States federal governments fiscal year is the 12-month period ending on 30 September of that year, having begun on 1 October of the previous calendar year. In particular, the identification of a fiscal year is the calendar year in which it ends; thus, the current fiscal year is 2017, often written as FY2017 or FY17, which began on 1 October 2016 and which will end on 30 September 2017.

Prior to 1976, the fiscal year began on 1 July and ended on 30 June. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 made the change to allow Congress more time to arrive at a budget each year, and provided for what is known as the transitional quarter from 1 July 1976 to 30 September 1976. An earlier shift in the federal governments fiscal year was made in 1843, shifting the fiscal year from a calendar year to one starting on 1 July.[38]

For example, the United States government fiscal year for 2017 is:

State governments set their own fiscal year. It may or may not align with the federal calendar. For example, in California, the states fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 each year.[39]

The tax year for a business is governed by the fiscal year it chooses. A business may choose any consistent fiscal year that it wants; however, for seasonal businesses such as farming and retail, a good account practice is to end the fiscal year shortly after the highest revenue time of year. Consequently, most large agriculture companies end their fiscal years after the harvest season, and most retailers end their fiscal years shortly after the Christmas shopping season.

The fiscal year for individuals and entities to report and pay income taxes is often known as the taxpayers tax year or taxable year. Taxpayers in many jurisdictions may choose their tax year.[40] In federal countries (e.g., United States, Canada, Switzerland), state/provincial/cantonal tax years must be the same as the federal year. Nearly all jurisdictions require that the tax year be 12 months or 52/53 weeks.[41] However, short years are permitted as the first year or when changing tax years.[42]

Most countries require all individuals to pay income tax based on the calendar year. Significant exceptions include:

Many jurisdictions require that the tax year conform to the taxpayers fiscal year for financial reporting. The United States is a notable exception: taxpayers may choose any tax year, but must keep books and records for such year.[41]

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Fiscal Freedom | Prometheism.net - Part 27

Rothschild: Censure is nothing but Censorship – Carroll County Times

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Without getting into partisan politics, voters need to think twice about actions in one of our municipalities, Taneytown, that would enable removal of a duly elected official by censure.

If the majority can remove a minority by censure, it threatens the ability of any elected official to challenge the majority in any legislative debate.

I believe I can make my point most obvious with a series of questions that quickly highlight the ridiculousness of the situation:

Was the elected official charged or convicted of a felony? No.

Was he charged or convicted of an imprisonable misdemeanor? No.

Was he charged or convicted for filing to pay any town fines or taxes? No.

Was the official tried or convicted of a substantial ethical breach such as self-dealing or accepting gifts from lobbyists? No.

Was the official afforded due process in front of a neutral tribunal to defend himself against his accusers? No.

Was the official administratively charged with violating Roberts Rules of Order? No.

Article 1 Section 6 of the Constitution states, "[Legislators] shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place."

According to the Annenberg Classroom, Article 1 Section 6 was "to prevent prosecutors and others from using the courts to intimidate a legislator because they do not like his or her view ."

So, what's left (pun intended) in the charges against the councilman?

I understand a town clerk broke into tears during session while being questioned by the councilman. However, that is not particularly unusual, and it certainly is not a crime. I have seen employees cry under duress.

Second, there are allegations the councilman violated attorney-client privilege because he individually asked a question of the town attorney and individually released the response to his constituents. Here's the nuance: Because the individual councilman asked the question, he reasonably assumed the answer belonged to him as an individual councilman, and it was his to keep or divulge. There is no law that makes it a crime for a client to divulge information given to him by his own attorney. Besides, was the official afforded the opportunity to defend himself in front of a neutral jury of his peers? No.

The point? Once the majority of legislators learns they can expunge anyone that says things they do not like, our system of government deteriorates into raw majoritarian rule.

Another official whom I respect suggested the councilman's questions about the size of the town's surplus funds may have been inappropriate.

My response?

If awkward questioning or fiscal irresponsibility were grounds for impeachment, the majority of politicians in Washington should be in jail.

The alleged grounds to remove the councilman from office lack substance. There is no crime or misdemeanor. The real reasons appear to be more related to political retribution. He made the majority angry, and they have the votes to hit back.

If angering the majority is grounds for removal, hundreds of officials (from both parties) across America would have already been censured and removed.

It will be interesting to see the outcome if the councilman retaliates against his accusers for depriving him of his Article 1 Section 6 protections; and/or his First and Fifth Amendment protections.

Knowledgeable people believe the hastily crafted censure ordinance is the epitome of what our founding fathers feared raw majoritarian processes by the majority against the minority.

What is the proper solution? Simple voters can replace any official they do not like during the next regular scheduled election by voting for someone else.

In the meantime, going-along-to-get-along only serves to protect the majority and the status quo.

Within our Republic form of government, true freedom also means the freedom to be wrong even for annoying politicians that say abrasive things.

Ordinances that enable the removal of elected officials by "censure" pose dangerous risks to our Republic form of Government. They basically amount to nothing less than "censorship" (spelled with an "o").

Richard Rothschild is a Republican county commissioner representing District 4.

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Rothschild: Censure is nothing but Censorship - Carroll County Times

PTI govt believes in press freedom: CM | Peshawar | thenews.com.pk – The News International

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Hands over allotment letters of 10-marla plots to journalists

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Saturday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government believed in the freedom of the press.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was speaking at a ceremony at the Nowshera Press Club, where he distributed among the journalists the allotment letters of 10-marla plots at the Media Colony in Nowshera.

Pervez Khattak said that media was the fourth pillar of the state and it played an important role in bridging the gap between the government and people.

The PTI government attaches great value to media for continuity of democracy and rule of law, he added.

He said his government supported the press clubs across the province.

The chief minister said it was the top priorities of the government to provide relief to the common man. We have taken several steps to make the province financially self-reliant, he maintained.

Pervez Khattak said that his government believed in carrying out uplift projects across the province.

He said the government was spending Rs15 billion on the construction of embankments in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera districts.

He said that work on flood prevention projects in Malakand, Hazara and Abbottabad would be launched shortly.

We have launched various projects to protect the flood-prone areas from floods, he added.

He said the provincial government had recommended to the federal government to include in its Annual Development Programme (ADP) the construction of Peshawar-Attock-Khairabad bridge and reconstruction of Nowshera-Mardan Grand Trunk Road.

He said that PTI didnt compromise on the rights of the province and increased the net hydel profit from Rs6 billion to Rs18 billion. He said Rs18 billion loans had been paid back to the federal government borrowed by the previous governments.

He said the provincial government had earmarked Rs126 billion for its Annual Development Programme.

He said his government had presented a balanced budget of Rs603 billion for the fiscal 2017-18, adding it increased the education budget by 18 percent compared to the previous budget allocations for this sector and earmarked Rs27.91 billion for education.

He said that Rs49.27 billion were allocated for health, Rs4.35 billion for agriculture and Rs720 million were earmarked for sports, culture and tourism.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said that reasonable allocations had been made for environment, forest, information and communications, public housing schemes and allowances for employees of government departments.

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PTI govt believes in press freedom: CM | Peshawar | thenews.com.pk - The News International

‘The Mummy’ Leads International Box Office, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ 5 Crosses $500 Million – Variety

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Variety
'The Mummy' Leads International Box Office, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 5 Crosses $500 Million
Variety
The Mummy is closing in on $300 million worldwide after leading the international box office for the second consecutive weekend. The Tom Cruise vehicle had a disappointing $32.2 million opening weekend in North America and a steep drop-off during ...

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'The Mummy' Leads International Box Office, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 5 Crosses $500 Million - Variety

Tropical development possible in the Northwestern Caribbean – WJHG-TV

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PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WJHG) - As of Sunday morning, a tropical disturbance in the northwestern Caribbean is showing signs of getting better organized. Hurricane hunters are planning to investigate the system Sunday afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center is giving it a 90 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm in the next few days as it heads into the Gulf of Mexico. Computer models don't have it becoming a hurricane at this point.

On the other hand, models don't have a good handle on where it'll go, and how much rain we get for the upcoming week ultimately depends on this system. Solutions range from southern Texas and Mexico to the Florida Big Bend or Nature Coast.

The main concerns with this system will be heavy rain/flooding.

The GFS American Model has been more consistent in moving this system due north, which would give us more tropical moisture and perhaps localized flooding. The European and North American Model have been more consistent suggesting the storm will stay to our south/west, which would mean less rain.

One of these solutions will be right, but at this point, we don't know which so stay tuned to the Vipir Weather Team. This is why we emphasize the importance of preparing for hurricane season.

Another tropical wave east of the Caribbean islands could develop this week, too, but we have plenty of time to watch that one.

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Tropical development possible in the Northwestern Caribbean - WJHG-TV

Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: June 18, 2017 – Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

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Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: June 18, 2017
Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
The 202nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where we discuss what you need to know about taking a cruise during hurricane season. In this episode, Matt talks about what impact hurricanes can have on a cruise, and whether or ...

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Royal Caribbean Post Round-Up: June 18, 2017 - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Money rules worry Caribbean – Nation News

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Ian De Souza, CEO and managing director of Republic Bank Barbados (FILE)

SOME INDIVIDUALS and businesses spurned by banks have been forced to fly suitcases stuffed with United States dollars across the Caribbean.

It may sound like something out of the movies but a top Caribbean banker based in Barbados said it was part of the fallout from de-risking the controversial issue of mainly United States-based banks cutting off financial institutions in the region from access to their services because of fears that they could face billions of dollars in fines under anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism (AML/CTF) regulations.

The drastic action has resulted from commercial banks in Barbados and the region rejecting business because of laundering concerns.

AML/CTF regulations have also been attributed to the physical movement of United States cash between countries in the Caribbean and the use of alternative, technology-based payment systems for international and inter-personal transactions, said Ian De Souza, the CEO and managing director of Republic Bank Barbados and an executive member of the Caribbean Association of Banks, in confirming the cash movement across borders. (GE)

Please read the full story in today's Sunday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.

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Money rules worry Caribbean - Nation News

There’s Something for Everyone in The Bahamas – TravelPulse (blog)

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PHOTO: Dive boats docked at Club Med Columbus Isle, Bahamas. (photo by Eric Bowman)

Were halfway through 2017 and if The Bahamas havent been calling your name, they ought to be now.

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism details the various activities for people of all ages to enjoy life in the Caribbean.

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For starters, the perfectly clear blue water will take your breath away. Sit and relax at any beach in the Bahamas and you know your stress will melt away.

After all, you are in paradise!

If you love sensational food, youll want to check out Santanas Grill Pit in Williams Town, Exuma. Located on the beach, youll have a stunning view while you feast on authentic island food.

And speaking of Exuma, you have to make the trek out to go swim with the pigs. These pigs basically have their own island, and they gladly welcome humans here to feed them. Just be smart and feed them good stuff, no junk and no alcohol, please!

READ MORE Go Under the Sea for a Sensational Exploration in The Bahamas

If alcohol is your thing, youll love visiting Sip Sip in Harbour Island. And per the Bahamas blogger, Town and Country Magazine has described Harbour Island as the Nantucket of The Bahamas.

If youre a nature lover, head to Freeport, Grand Bahama to be mesmerized by The Garden of the Groves. The Bahamas isnt just the beach, so come explore the beautiful nature they help preserve here.

For those travelers who love history, check out the underwater plane wreck at Rokers Point Settlement in Exuma, as well as the pirate steps at Clifton Heritage Park in Nassau.

Other great historic spots can be found in Bimini, where travelers can see the Dolphin House and take a dip in the Healing Hole.

For more information on Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, check out their blog here.

You may use your Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook information, including your name, photo & any other personal data you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on TravelPulse.com. Click here to learn more.

Art is a veteran travel writer.

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There's Something for Everyone in The Bahamas - TravelPulse (blog)

‘Massive miracle’: Charlotte-area woman recounts vicious shark attack – Charlotte Observer

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Charlotte Observer
'Massive miracle': Charlotte-area woman recounts vicious shark attack
Charlotte Observer
The 32-year-old Concord woman's defiance came two weeks ago during a life-threatening battle with a shark off the coast of the Bahamas. Johnson would eventually lose much of her right arm, but she had surgery at Carolinas Medical Center last Friday ...
Kids' Lemonade Stand Raises Money For Mom Attacked By SharkWFMY News 2

all 2 news articles »

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'Massive miracle': Charlotte-area woman recounts vicious shark attack - Charlotte Observer

Minnis wants Grand Bahama to be ‘renowned’ for duty-free shopping … – Bahamas Tribune

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By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday detailed his administrations tourism strategy, highlighted by plans to introduce several initiatives to re-energise Nassau and rebrand Grand Bahama as a renowned duty-free shopping centre.

In an address at the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Associations board of directors and membership association meeting, Dr Minnis committed his administration to a myriad of schemes and proposals he said were geared toward diversifying the nations tourism product.

Referring to all of the multinational resorts, boutique hotels, fishing lodges, water sport operations and ground transportation companies currently operating, Dr Minnis suggested that further diversification of these enterprises can increase the countrys overall profit margin.

The Killarney MP insisted that this style of diversification will play a major role in the master plan his administration intends to roll out over the course of its term in office.

Alluding to the setbacks and shortfalls brought on by Baha Mar over the last two years, Dr Minnis said his administrations plan will look to strengthen the links between foreign direct investment and home-grown businesses, instead of hinging opportunities primarily on the backs of the former.

Dr Minnis went on to pitch what he called an incentive framework for entrepreneurs, a system he said would facilitate local and international access to capital, encourage joint ventures among private interest; facilitate the improvement of business advisory and encourage the cultivation of tools to stimulate Bahamian entrepreneurship in tourism.

He said it was time for bold thoughts on how Bahamians could own or be involved in multiple dimensions of tourism.

Twenty-first century travellers seek more than the proverbial sun, sand and sea. They travel in search of unique and authentic experiences. Ours is a richly textured culture, our history, music, food, dance, art, craft and our folkways are distinctly different. We must fully capitalise on our culture and heritage to add a more vibrant visitor experience, stated Dr Minnis.

He later added that the formation of joint ventures will be a central approach to the execution of projects, inclusive of the restoration and maintenance of historic sites and the designation of iconic locations.

Of these sites, Dr Minnis specified Clifton Heritage National Park in New Providence, Mount Alvernia in Cat Island and the Columbus Monument in San Salvador and plantation ruins on other islands.

Dr Minnis said the country is nowhere near monetising the number of cruise ship passengers coming to the Bahamas, and as such, he said he views these heritage experiences as a prime avenue for expansion.

My government is committed to completing the National Museum of the Bahamas for the benefit of Bahamians primarily, but also as a heritage experience for tourists. Cruise passengers throughout the world visit museums. Imagine if New Providence can provide more of these experiences, Dr Minnis said.

Among his recommendations for initiatives in New Providence Thursday, Dr Minnis called for the refurbishment of Festival Place, the creation of anative food market in the Over-the-Hill community, the construction of a maritime museum at the Lowell J Mortimer Maritime Institute and the development of heritage and eco-tours throughout the country through the use of signage, on par with the Blue Plaque system used in the United Kingdom.

I suggest that we develop the Aqua Plaque, which can be used as a heritage marker in the Bahamas. Bahamian designer Carla Whittingham has already designed a prototype, which is cast in appropriate material for our climate. The Aqua Plaque should be utilised with other signage to note the significance of the heritage site in question and to recall noted Bahamians associated with the site.

Dr Minnis said he plans to direct the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to collaborate on making the scheme a reality as soon as possible.

Of the proposed native food market, Dr Minnis said that the markets physical structure would be adorned with Bahamian art and will act as a major economic empowerment and revitalisation project for that community.

Our native food market will welcome scores of Bahamians and tourists. It will provide business opportunities and allow many Bahamians to sell their goods and products. The native food market will have a variety of foods and products for sale from ice cream to potato and cassava bread, tamarind sauce, local teas and other Bahamian treats.

Lastly, of the refurbishment of Festival Place, the prime minister said plans are in place to convert the welcome centre into a commercial and recreational space conducive to retail and restaurant businesses.

He added that the move would help to re-energise the city of Nassau and provide more engaging interactions for cruise passengers and more economic opportunities for Bahamians.

Dr Minnis roughly 30-minute address Thursday spoke primarily to re-build the brand identity of Grand Bahama, while incentivising investments on that island.

The Killarney MP said it is the goal of his administration to make the island of Grand Bahama a renowned duty-free shopping centre for residents and millions of visitors from around the world.

Dr Minnis said the government is prepared to roll-out a workable plan for tourism in Grand Bahama that would position the city of Freeport and the district of Lucaya as a maritime, sports and wellness destination; East Grand Bahama as an eco-tourism mecca and West Grand Bahama as a site for culture.

Dr Minnisalso spoke ofhow his government would look to facilitate the economic empowerment of the Family Islands through grants of Crown land, assistance with technical and marketing support and particular tax exemptions for specified periods.

He said his administration intended to invest in the modernisation of Family Island infrastructure with the goal of providing clean potable water, good roads, modern airports and docks and will incentivise locally owned airlines to establish local hubs for inter-island transportation through strategic partnerships.

Additionally, he said the government will actively seek to increase travel from both traditional and non-traditional airlift markets.

In the long-term, Dr Minnis said his government will work towards introducing legislation to make it attractive for international filmmakers to produce cinematic productions at a fraction of the cost comparable to other leading off-site film locations.

He also called for the registration of hospitality products such as vacation rental homes, which are currently operating outside of regulations, to level the playing field and ensure national standards of safety and quality.

Dr Minnis said his government will also look to build linkage between agriculture and tourism, focusing efforts at Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute on the production of select products for local and export markets; privatise produce exchange, provide land, supplies, equipment and business services to Bahamian farmers to support the industry.

The government also plans to introduce tax incentives and concessions to encourage Bahamian farmers and farming cooperatives throughout the country to promote sustained production and packaging initiatives and to ensure the continuous supply of quality products.

Additionally, Dr Minnis said his administration intends to augment the resources of tourism police to ensure the safety and security of visitors, noting that it would be the only way tourism could survive.

The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association meeting was held at the Hilton Hotel.

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Minnis wants Grand Bahama to be 'renowned' for duty-free shopping ... - Bahamas Tribune