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Contributions to the Finance Bill Committee 2013


Budget 2013 has long been forgotten by the media but the Finance Bill implementing it returned to the House yesterday for report stage. From 23 April to 20 June, I served on the Bill committee. All Bill stages and documents may be found here. I made many contributions, including 25 April, 3rd Sitting – Support of the report of the 2020 Tax Commission 16 May, 6th Sitting – Equality in tax laws 4 June, 10th Sitting – An attack on […]

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The Finance Bill 2013 – How to promote special interest lobbying


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Yesterday, I spoke against Clause 35 and schedules 15 to 17 of the Finance Bill 2013. They introduce tax relief for “high-end” television production (that is, posh drama and comedy) and video games development. They’re industries I’d like to see flourish but not by granting special privileges. It’s special privilege which is the most egregious objective of lobbying: it represents a subsidy for a preferred group at everyone else’s expense. I began by provoking laughter, for this kind of measure deserves to be […]

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Death knell sounds for Europe’s beekeepers | Reuters


BRUSSELS, April 27 (Reuters) – Europe’s beekeeping industry could be wiped out in less than a decade as bees fall victim to disease, insecticides and intensive farming, international beekeeping body Apimondia said on Monday. “With this level of mortality, European beekeepers can only survive another 8 to 10 years,” Gilles Ratia, president of Apimondia, told Reuters. “We have had big problems in southwest France for many years, but also now in Italy and Germany.” Last year, about 30 percent of […]

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