Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Tax Notes Capitol Hill reporter Doug Sword discusses the latest national sales tax proposal in Congress, and contributing editor Robert Goulder shares his thoughts on the challenges of implementing the tax. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. David D. Stewart: Welcome to the podcast. I'm David Stewart, editor in chief of Tax Notes Today International . This week: supersize sales tax. In the process of organizing the newly elected Congress, proponents of a plan to implement a national sales tax got a commitment to have their plan considered. The so-called fair tax would replace the income tax system and do away with the IRS. Now, this isn't a new proposal, but one that has been given new life. To learn more about it, first we'll hear from Doug Sword, a Tax Notes reporter who's been following this issue in Congress. Later, we'll talk with Tax Notes contributing editor Robert … [Read more...] about A Closer Look At The National Sales Tax Proposal
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How One Woman Went From Being A Pastry Chef To Starting An Eco-Minded Skincare Brand
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Upon moving to New York City, Kate McLeod found herself feeling lost and low in the busy city. She found solace in business—accidentally. In 2015, McLeod was living in a small Brooklyn apartment while engaged to her high school sweetheart. Yet, she was struggling in the city: the pace, the rush, the lack of meaningful human connection. It had left her in a depressive state. During this time, a visit to her sister-in-law gave her the spark for a new business idea that put her culinary skills and environmental ethos to work. “I was just chatting with my sister-in-law while applying lotion, and she asked me what I was using. I hadn’t paid too much attention to ingredients in skincare at that point in my life,” she says. Her sister-in-law, though, swapped out the generic bottle of lotion for a tub of cocoa butter and told her to spend some time rubbing into her dry skin. McLeod didn’t think much of it, but took home the … [Read more...] about How One Woman Went From Being A Pastry Chef To Starting An Eco-Minded Skincare Brand
The secret workshop in Mumbai for Paris Fashion Week
Julien Fournie works with a company called Creations By Shanagar in Mumbai. (Image credit: shanagarofficial/Instagram) Sitting in a lotus position, four men weave glittering beads through gold thread on an organza sheet, carefully constructing a wedding dress that will soon wow crowds at Paris Fashion Week . For once, the French couturier behind the design, Julien Fournie , is determined to put these craftsmen in the spotlight: his new collection, showing in Paris on Tuesday, is entirely made with fabrics from Mumbai . He says a sort of "design imperialism" means that French fashion houses often play down the fact that their fabrics are made outside France. "The houses which don't admit it are perhaps afraid of losing their clientele," Fournie told AFP. But that is absurd, he continued. Read More "India is number one in the world in embroidery. It's ancestral. They've been dressing maharajas in gold-embroidered outfits since the 16th century." … [Read more...] about The secret workshop in Mumbai for Paris Fashion Week
After emotional victory, Gary Kubiak tells players he is stepping down as head coach
Gary Kubiak was at the top of the list. It was his name that came to mind first and it was John Elway’s hope that his former teammate and coordinator would accept his offer. It was early January 2015 and the Broncos had just fallen to the Colts in an early and disappointing playoff exit. They immediately parted with coach John Fox and began a quick search for his replacement. Kubiak, then the offensive coordinator at Baltimore, was available — but only to the Broncos, a franchise he called “home” after spending nine years in Denver (1983-91) as a backup quarterback and 11 more (1995-2005) as a coordinator. “The only way I was worried was if he had some health issues,” Elway told The Denver Post. “… My only concern was that — the health factor.” The health factor wasn’t a concern for Kubiak then, but it certainly become one again this season, noticeable by his coaches and players after he suffered a second scare on the job at mid-season. On Sunday, Kubiak, 55, stood on the … [Read more...] about After emotional victory, Gary Kubiak tells players he is stepping down as head coach
How Disney Sailed Off With $1.6 Billion From Its Cruise Line
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Disney banked a total of $1.6 billion of dividends from its cruise line over its first 25 years in business according to detailed analysis of its financial statements. The strength of Disney's brand makes it a bellwether of the cruise industry but it wasn't even a player just 25 years ago. The Mouse first dipped its toe in the water in the mid-1980s when it signed a partnership which allowed Premier Cruise Lines to sell combined cruise, hotel and theme park packages and offer on-board appearances from Disney characters. In 1993 Premier decided to partner with Warner Bros. instead and although it continued to offer land and sea packages with Disney's parks, it also added Universal Studios as an option. The led Disney to approach Carnival and Royal Caribbean about becoming its exclusive sea partner but the talks sunk without a trace. In 1998 Disney decided to take the plunge and launched its own ship, the Disney Magic. The … [Read more...] about How Disney Sailed Off With $1.6 Billion From Its Cruise Line
ChatGPT Is Changing How Teen Entrepreneurs Think About Business
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin I recently used ChatGPT for the first time and received this notice. It's safe to say I wasn't the only person interested in learning more about this platform. ChatGPT first came to my attention through educators who were upset about it on social media. I then heard about the chatbot from teens who were utilizing it to help with their crippling homework load. Most recently I saw a discussion on Facebook with a group of people age 40 and older who were commenting on how ChatGPT is just a “trend” and a “buzzword” For those unfamiliar with ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), it is a free online tool that allows you to present text-based queries on a variety of topics. When you get on the website, it provides you with sample questions like, “Explain quantum computing in simple terms”. ChatGPT also provides a place to type in your particular question. It’s not hard to see how the tool could be used by students, … [Read more...] about ChatGPT Is Changing How Teen Entrepreneurs Think About Business
Portugal’s Top Residency Visa Options—And Who They’re Best Suited To
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Portugal is the number-one destination in Europe for ease of residency. The Portuguese government is eager for foreign investment, offering a wide range of residency visa options designed to attract different types of people. It’s innovative and adaptable, introducing new visa options like its Digital Nomad Visa, launched in October 2022, in response to changing trends in global migration. It’s also home to one of Europe’s most popular golden visa programs. The Portugal Golden Visa has brought in more than US$6.5 billion since its inception in 2012. The government made changes to the Golden Visa, mainly to do with the minimum investment thresholds and geographic restrictions, which went into effect in early 2022. The program remains popular despite this. However, the changes raise an important point: if you’re interested in taking action offshore, do it when you’re able to, while you’re eligible for whatever … [Read more...] about Portugal’s Top Residency Visa Options—And Who They’re Best Suited To
Jessica Sepel, Founder Of JSHealth, Shares Her Top Tips On Wellness In 2023
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The first month of 2023 is officially coming to an end. With all your best intensions on health and fitness for the New Year, you may still find it difficult to continue a goal-oriented practice that’s both sustainable and enjoyable. Jessica Sepel , nutritionist, author, and founder to the holistic supplement empire JSHealth Vitamins , shares her insight on how to best approach wellness in 2023. Angela Lei (AL): New Year’s Resolutions: what are your thoughts? Jessica Sepel (JS): When it comes to keeping resolutions, it is very important you don’t place pressure on yourself to do it all perfectly and follow the “perfect” diet or be too restrictive — often this pressure backfires and we give up altogether. Think, balance, and being kind towards yourself. You do not need a resolution to diet to live the healthy life! You just need to create positive habits, rituals and routines — and make a few small changes … [Read more...] about Jessica Sepel, Founder Of JSHealth, Shares Her Top Tips On Wellness In 2023
Digital Advertising Benchmarks 2020. What’s A Good Click Rate?
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin I’ve been asked continuously over the last twenty years “what’s a good click through rate, bounce rate, time on site, etc.” and more recently, “what’s a good IVT (invalid traffic) rate?” My answer has always been that industry wide digital advertising benchmarks are meaningless because they are not actionable, even though it is very tempting to compare yourself to them. Let me explain why. Comparing Apples to Oranges Let’s take simple things like bounce rates, time on site, and number of pages per session; all of these are readily available in Google Analytics. A “good” bounce rate, time on site, and number of pages per session is entirely different depending on the nature of the site or the industry vertical to which it belongs. For example, for a medical journal site, doctors come to read one article to get answers they need at that moment; and then they leave. The number of pages for that session may be one page … [Read more...] about Digital Advertising Benchmarks 2020. What’s A Good Click Rate?
Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley Is Now A Lock For NBA Rookie Of The Year
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Sixty games through their season, the Cleveland Cavaliers still rank fourth in the Eastern Conference . At 36-24, they are currently seeded ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. If you say you had seen this coming, I would not believe you. This resurgence comes in the wake of three down years after the second departure of LeBron James. In the time hence, they had cobbled together lowly seasons with 19-63, 19-46, and 22-50 win-loss records. The win percentage in that span had crept up only incrementally, from .232 to .306. They were going nowhere, slowly. In fairness, there had been one or two bright spots along the way. Collin Sexton weathered a slow start to become a 20 points per game scorer last season, and at the 2021 trade deadline, the Cavaliers were virtually gifted Jarrett Allen for the cost of a 2022 first-round pick, one which will now fall well outside the lottery places. But even … [Read more...] about Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley Is Now A Lock For NBA Rookie Of The Year