Tag Archives: taxes

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

U.S. investigates Israeli banks, helping wealthy U.S. citizens avoid paying taxes

September 17, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Israeli banks, for helping wealthy U.S. citizens avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

At least three of Israel’s largest banks, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi le-Israel BM and Mizrahi-Tefahot, are being investigated.  The have accounts in Switzerland.

It’s estimated that thousands of wealthy U.S. citizens are using such accounts to hide their incomes from the Internal Revenue Service.

In a 2009 settlement, UBS, paid a U.S.$780 million fine, after admitting to helping U.S. tax evaders.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: Officials say nuclear disaster could have been avoided!

16 September 2011, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency says the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could have been avoided.

They say if water injection began four hours sooner there would have been no melt downs.

Anyone who’s been following the situation from day one knows that Tokyo Electric Power Company has dragged their feet on just about everything connected to dealing with the disaster.  Especially at the beginning when it seemed that TEPCo officials just refused to believe that anything was wrong!

Of the plant’s six reactors, reactors 1 and 3 suffered meltdowns after losing cooling functions.

Reactor 2 suffered a hydrogen explosion on 15 March, which caused the release and spread of massive amounts of radioactive isotopes.

 

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Radiation still being found at garbage incinerators across Japan

16 September 2011, ever since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster began, waste incinerator sites across Japan have reported high levels of radiation in the ashes of burned garbage and sludge.

The latest tests show three Prefectures still with levels of cesium contamination exceeding safe limits: Iwate, Fukushima and Chiba.

The highest measurement was 144,420 becquerels per kilogram at one facility in Fukushima!

The Japanese Environment Ministry realized that the incinerators reporting high levels of radiation contamination, are storing the garbage outside, where it can be contaminated by airborne cesium.  This is also an indicator of just how much airborne radiation is being spread across Japan.

The Environment Ministry has now decided to test all incinerators sites, that store the garbage outdoors.

Read more about incinerator contamination:

Cesium levels skyrocketing

Japanese waste incinerators

Mysterious radiation found

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Once again, Idaho property values down, yet government raises the property tax, blame those damn levys people keep voting for!

“Even if the budget stays the same, the levy is going to go up to compensate for the decline in value of your property.”– Chris Rich, Ada County Clerk

Ada County, Idaho, just raised their property tax rates, even though property values are down.

In fact property values dropped 42% since 2006.  But county officials say the rates are going up because people keep passing levys.  The levys are paid for by increasing property taxes, despite what many of those who trick you into passing those levys say.

Some good news for property owners; under Idaho law levys can only affect your taxes so much, until they ‘max out’. As a sign of our bad economy, many officials say the levys are very close to being maxed out.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Idaho Tax collections miss mark, again

Idaho is two months into its fiscal year and already sales and income tax revenues are $10 million LESS than expected.

The Idaho State Tax Commission says total collections, so far, are $403 million.

Individual income tax collections for August were $91.4 million, about $3.9 million less than expected.

Sales tax receipts for August came in at $86.8 million, $6.8 million less than expected.

July did a little better, but was still less than expected.  Other tax revenues also did well, coming close to expectations.  However, lower sales & income tax revenues means that people still aren’t spending enough money, ’cause they’re not making enough money. Obviously its a sign that for the average Joe & Jone in Idaho, the economy still sucks.

Business/Economics, International

Global Economic Class War: Greek government to screw over citizens, again

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos announced, on September 11, that a new property tax will be in place over the next two years.

The new property tax is supposed to make up for 2.6 billion dollars in lost tax revenues.  Funny how politicians think that the answer to people not being able to pay taxes, because their incomes are down, is to increase or create new taxes!

To try and placate the Greek masses, the government said politicians will give up one month of pay, big whoop!

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japan’s wild animals and plants highly contaminated with Cesium!

Gakushuin University Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu, says radioactive cesium on soil and fallen leaves in forests is easily absorbed by mushrooms and edible plants.

On 03 September 2011, wild mushrooms found in a forest in Fukushima Prefecture contained 28,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram, far above the national safety limit.  A wild boar was also found to have radiation amounts about 6 times the safety limit.

Professor Muramatsu is urging the Japanese government to conduct tests on wild animals and plants.

FUKUSHIMA TO EUTHANIZE ABANDONED LIVESTOCK AND PETS!

FOOD CRISIS: HALF MILLION LIVESTOCK STARVING TO DEATH IN JAPAN!

Fukushima

Sunflowers absorb radiation!

A Kobe, Japan, private-sector group announced the results of their studies on sunflowers in the contaminated areas of Japan.

They grew sunflowers in 4 fields in Minamisoma City, within 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

They found that soil contamination was reduced between 20% and 50%.  Radiation was absorbed by the sunflowers’ roots.  The problem is that the sunflowers are now considered nuclear waste.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: Radiation pouring into Pacific Ocean three times greater than reported! Airborne radiation not monitored!

Researchers at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Kyoto University and other institutes say the actual radiation pouring into the Pacific Ocean, from Fukushima Daiichi, is at least three times what Tokyo Electric Power Company is officially reporting.

The researchers say that at least 15,000 terabecquerels (1 terabecquerel = 1.0 × 10+12 becquerels) of radioactive iodine-131 and cesium-137 has entered the ocean!!!  They say TEPCo is not monitoring airborne radiation that falls into the ocean.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

War on Terror cover for Global Economic War: Invasion of Afghanistan IS about oil, Afghanistan has 80 million barrels of oil, now it all goes to China

State-owned China National Petroleum Corporation won the first oil and natural gas exploration contracts in Afghanistan since the U.S. led invasion in 2001.

It’s estimated that there are 1.6 billion barrels of crude oil in Afghanistan.  The oil fields of Bazarkhami, Kashkari and Zamarudsay (areas under contract with CNPC) contain an estimated 80 million barrels.

In 2007 China got the rights to mine copper in Afghanistan.  Isn’t nice that the U.S. led War on Terror is allowing other countries to get contracts to mine minerals and oil?