Bribery exists almost everywhere in one form or another. All countries suffer from corruption to some extent. Even if local citizens are not used to handling problems in such a way, there are foreign visitors who can spread this "virus".
Unfortunately, humanity hasn’t invented a magic pill against this disease. Nowadays, corrupt officials still neglect harsh laws, like in China, though civil servants of various levels are regularly sentenced to capital punishment. By contrast, a human attitude bears no fruit, like in Russia, where bribe-takers can get off such a crime with a house arrest. All we can do is to sit on the sidelines and analyze statistics. That is what the United Nations is doing. According to recent data, the annual amount of bribes in the world is estimated at one trillion dollars. The UN experts also reported that, due to bribes and corruption, the world economy is losing another $2.6 trillion annually. Moreover, in developing countries, corruption-related losses exceed the amount of official development assistance by 10 times. Even though Russia is not a developed country but it is in the top five in terms of corruption. During the recent Eastern Economic Forum, which was established by Russian President Vladimir Putin, corruption was recognized the main problem for businesses in Russia.
This data is confirmed by Transparency International, a non-governmental international organization against corruption. Russia was named one of the most corrupt countries in Europe and Central Asia. In particular, experts stressed a high level of corruption among officials and public tolerance towards bribery.
Many companies have caught a wave of technological progress and started developing various "smart" gadgets and devices ranging from home appliances to innovative smartphones. However, an ordinary buyer should refrain from impulsive purchases, since new devices have a number of problems. What exactly - read in our article.
Technological progress is moving fast, and more and more companies start producing innovative "smart" gadgets. However, not all technological novelties should be purchased immediately after their appearance on the market, since there is a high probability of encountering technical or operational problems.
VR systemsSeveral largest companies including Google, Samsung, HTC, and Sony have developed unique projects of virtual reality devices. However, despite the massive growing interest in this technology, novelties enthusiasts should wait before buying VR headset or glasses. The reason is there is not enough VR-specific content. The list of games and applications developed for the VR headset is small enough, and your new gadget may be useless.
Smart appliancesSmart appliances have got the buyers' sympathy quite quickly. A lot of large companies, such as LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool, are all duking it out to create smart refrigerators, washing machines, and smart-home systems. While the cool factor on these products is extreme, shoppers should think twice before buying these products. The main drawback of "smart" home helpers is the need for frequent software updates. Therefore, it does not always make sense to change the traditional refrigerator which has already served a decent time to a more fashionable "smart" device with a software that is often needed to be updated.
4K televisions4K TVs have higher screen resolutions than standard FullHD. 4K is the number of pixels along a horizontal row of the display, namely 4,000 pixels, which exceeds Full HD in terms of the number of pixels by almost 3,000. This gives a clearer image, but these TVs have their drawbacks: low refresh rate (only 60 Hz), lack of high-quality content with the required high resolution, and a high price that exceeds the HD-TV's one by 2-3 times.
Smart speakersThe main function of all smart speakers is to help their owner on a domestic basis: informing about weather and traffic jams, reminding about an important event, ordering goods or services, etc. However, do not rush to purchase such personal assistant: the device often does not recognize Russian language and some functions are not supported in many CIS countries. Moreover, many users complain about the internal problems of the gadget itself: software errors and issues with playing music are observed quite often.
iPhone XThe jubilee smartphone by Apple has gained frenzied popularity in many countries in a short time. However, many experts consider the cost of the iPhone X unjustifiably excessive due to some obvious drawbacks, such as the unstable operation of the innovative face recognition sensor, slow wireless charging, glass body, which is not resistant to impacts, and also lack of ability to protect themselves from surveillance by special services through the front-facing camera.
Понедельник, 18 Декабря 2017 г. 08:41
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Oil is developing a rapid rally to the joy of the world's largest oil producers. The efforts initiated by Saudi Arabia are bearing fruit, so prices are steadily growing. It was Saudi Arabia that put forward an initiative to unite the world's leading oil states aiming to reduce global oil production. As a result, parties signed an agreement known as OPEC+, which specified individual quotas of oil production.
The deal would not be so effective if Russia had not joined it. Thanks to combined actions, it was possible not only to stop the fall of oil prices but also to encourage their stable growth. Recently, Brent crude reached $65 a barrel for the first time since 2015. Apparently, the OPEC work is not over as in early December, the countries decided to extend the deal until the end of 2018 and also resolved the issue with Libya and Nigeria that were previously exempt from these obligations. Given these circumstances, we can hope that the cost of oil will continue to grow. The Russian ruble may join oil in its rally, however, it is still dragging significantly behind it.
Понедельник, 18 Декабря 2017 г. 04:47
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Many companies have caught a wave of technological progress and started developing various "smart" gadgets and devices ranging from home appliances to innovative smartphones. However, an ordinary buyer should refrain from impulsive purchases, since new devices have a number of problems. What exactly - read in our article.
Technological progress is moving fast, and more and more companies start producing innovative "smart" gadgets. However, not all technological novelties should be purchased immediately after their appearance on the market, since there is a high probability of encountering technical or operational problems.
VR systemsSeveral largest companies including Google, Samsung, HTC, and Sony have developed unique projects of virtual reality devices. However, despite the massive growing interest in this technology, novelties enthusiasts should wait before buying VR headset or glasses. The reason is there is not enough VR-specific content. The list of games and applications developed for the VR headset is small enough, and your new gadget may be useless.
Smart appliancesSmart appliances have got the buyers' sympathy quite quickly. A lot of large companies, such as LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool, are all duking it out to create smart refrigerators, washing machines, and smart-home systems. While the cool factor on these products is extreme, shoppers should think twice before buying these products. The main drawback of "smart" home helpers is the need for frequent software updates. Therefore, it does not always make sense to change the traditional refrigerator which has already served a decent time to a more fashionable "smart" device with a software that is often needed to be updated.
4K televisions4K TVs have higher screen resolutions than standard FullHD. 4K is the number of pixels along a horizontal row of the display, namely 4,000 pixels, which exceeds Full HD in terms of the number of pixels by almost 3,000. This gives a clearer image, but these TVs have their drawbacks: low refresh rate (only 60 Hz), lack of high-quality content with the required high resolution, and a high price that exceeds the HD-TV's one by 2-3 times.
Smart speakersThe main function of all smart speakers is to help their owner on a domestic basis: informing about weather and traffic jams, reminding about an important event, ordering goods or services, etc. However, do not rush to purchase such personal assistant: the device often does not recognize Russian language and some functions are not supported in many CIS countries. Moreover, many users complain about the internal problems of the gadget itself: software errors and issues with playing music are observed quite often.
iPhone XThe jubilee smartphone by Apple has gained frenzied popularity in many countries in a short time. However, many experts consider the cost of the iPhone X unjustifiably excessive due to some obvious drawbacks, such as the unstable operation of the innovative face recognition sensor, slow wireless charging, glass body, which is not resistant to impacts, and also lack of ability to protect themselves from surveillance by special services through the front-facing camera.
Recently, Wall Street updated records so many times that new peaks do not come as a big surprise. On the other hand, taking into account a stable economic growth, it is hardly surprising that stock indices also advance. Moreover, not only developed countries demonstrate positive trends, most emerging markets also show good results.
Investors plan to celebrate the New Year in a happy and confident mood. Market sentiment is supported by the data for the third quarter. For example, the S&P 500 companies managed to increase annual earnings by 8.5 percent a share. Moreover, long-term profit expectations are incredibly high: according to forecasts, profits will grow by 14 percent in a year, both in the US and Europe. Some experts believe that it is beneficial for companies to increase profits when stock prices grow, and to depreciate them when the market is bearish. In the first case, management steadily achieves its targets and receives its stock options. In the second scenario, when the market is moving downwards, managers release all the bad news in order to set the next targets at a lower base level.
So bears do not go into hibernation this winter. When the economy is improving and interest rates are low, it is extremely difficult to predict the next recession.
Recently, Wall Street updated records so many times that new peaks do not come as a big surprise. On the other hand, taking into account a stable economic growth, it is hardly surprising that stock indices also advance. Moreover, not only developed countries demonstrate positive trends, most emerging markets also show good results.
Investors plan to celebrate the New Year in a happy and confident mood. Market sentiment is supported by the data for the third quarter. For example, the S&P 500 companies managed to increase annual earnings by 8.5 percent a share. Moreover, long-term profit expectations are incredibly high: according to forecasts, profits will grow by 14 percent in a year, both in the US and Europe. Some experts believe that it is beneficial for companies to increase profits when stock prices grow, and to depreciate them when the market is bearish. In the first case, management steadily achieves its targets and receives its stock options. In the second scenario, when the market is moving downwards, managers release all the bad news in order to set the next targets at a lower base level.
So bears do not go into hibernation this winter. When the economy is improving and interest rates are low, it is extremely difficult to predict the next recession.
Kaspersky Lab experts issued a statement that next year cyber attacks will be original and unusual, malicious software for stealing money will be improved, and the number of cyber attacks will increase. Read about how the nature of cyber threats and the most large-scale computer viruses will change in our article.
According to experts, the developers of legitimate software will be attacked more often. Not the ultimate goals (large companies) will be under the attack but an intermediary will be used, the producer of known programs.One of the first full-scale DDoS attacks (distributed denial of service) via the Internet servers of large companies was the Mafiaboy virus, which spread in 2000. The virus attacked such famous sites as Yahoo, Fifa.com, Amazon, Dell, eBay, and CNN. It was developed by a Canadian high school student, and the damage was about $1.2 billion.
Among the unusual devices that may be susceptible to attack next year, experts call cars and medical devices. And with the help of fitness gadgets, which store a huge array of confidential information, with their weak protection, criminals can steal personal data.The first full-fledged computer worm that infected cell phones in 2004 was Cabir. Every time, when trying to turn on an infected phone, its owner saw the inscription Caribe on the screen. It was quite difficult to identify it because the worm disguised as a program to protect the phone.
The media and social media are also at risk of cyber attacks. One false message on the page of an influential person or the media can cause fluctuations in markets. It will be almost impossible to determine the customer of this attack.The first malicious program that spread through social networks was ZeuS, a Trojan program that appeared in 2007. Facebook users received photo messages that redirected them to sites with a virus. Then the program introduced into the system and received personal data, due to which criminals abducted money from the accounts of leading European banks.
Cyber attacks on the UEFI programming interface, which replaced BIOS, are expected in the coming year. This is the layer between the firmware and the OS of modern computers that can install and run executable files, and also have access to the Internet.One of the first network worms spread via the Internet was the Morris worm. It was written by the graduate student of Cornell University Robert Tappan Morris and launched on November 2, 1988, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The damage amounted to approximately $96.5 million. On the photo is a floppy disk with the source code of the worm which is stored in the Museum of Science in Boston.
Industrial systems will also be targeted by cybercriminals more often, as they are more vulnerable than corporate ones.StuxNet is a virus that attacked industrial systems that control production processes. This is the first really used cyber weapon. In 2010, the virus disabled Iran's nuclear facilities, physically destroying the infrastructure: then up to 20% of Iran's nuclear centrifuges could suffer.
In addition, in the next year hackers will more often hack routers and modems, according to Kaspersky Lab.In 1999, the Melissa virus became the first malicious code distributed by e-mail. It managed to disrupt the work of several large companies' mail servers. As a result, the load on mail servers increased, and the processing of e-mail messages ceased or slowed down significantly. The damage was estimated at $80 million. In the photo, there are Fredrik Bjork (on the left) and Joan Ekstrom, experts who helped the FBI to find the author of the virus.
Again, ATMs will be under attack, but experts believe that the attacks will become fully automated, which will shorten the time required for theft. On the photo, there is a British IT expert Marcus Hutchins, suspected of spreading the Kronos virus, with the help of which cyber-masters successfully had been stealing bank card data in 2014-2015. It is noteworthy that a couple of months before his arrest in 2017, Hutchins managed to neutralize the famous encryptor virus WannaCry which attacked 200 000 computers in 150 countries in May 2017. The damage is estimated at $1 billion.
In 2014, the Lazarus virus led to a large-scale leak of personal data of Sony Pictures employees, e-mail, and unreleased films. The damage was estimated at $100 million ($83 million of which - due to the loss of the films being prepared for exhibition). It is believed that the attack on the servers of Sony was realized by the cyber group Lazarus, associated with the government of North Korea.
The computer virus "Chernobyl", also known as CIH, was the first malicious program that was able to damage the hardware of the computer - the Flash BIOS chip. The virus first appeared in June 1998, and since then its epidemic has not stopped.
Kaspersky Lab experts issued a statement that next year cyber attacks will be original and unusual, malicious software for stealing money will be improved, and the number of cyber attacks will increase. Read about how the nature of cyber threats and the most large-scale computer viruses will change in our article.
According to experts, the developers of legitimate software will be attacked more often. Not the ultimate goals (large companies) will be under the attack but an intermediary will be used, the producer of known programs.One of the first full-scale DDoS attacks (distributed denial of service) via the Internet servers of large companies was the Mafiaboy virus, which spread in 2000. The virus attacked such famous sites as Yahoo, Fifa.com, Amazon, Dell, eBay, and CNN. It was developed by a Canadian high school student, and the damage was about $1.2 billion.
Among the unusual devices that may be susceptible to attack next year, experts call cars and medical devices. And with the help of fitness gadgets, which store a huge array of confidential information, with their weak protection, criminals can steal personal data.The first full-fledged computer worm that infected cell phones in 2004 was Cabir. Every time, when trying to turn on an infected phone, its owner saw the inscription Caribe on the screen. It was quite difficult to identify it because the worm disguised as a program to protect the phone.
The media and social media are also at risk of cyber attacks. One false message on the page of an influential person or the media can cause fluctuations in markets. It will be almost impossible to determine the customer of this attack.The first malicious program that spread through social networks was ZeuS, a Trojan program that appeared in 2007. Facebook users received photo messages that redirected them to sites with a virus. Then the program introduced into the system and received personal data, due to which criminals abducted money from the accounts of leading European banks.
Cyber attacks on the UEFI programming interface, which replaced BIOS, are expected in the coming year. This is the layer between the firmware and the OS of modern computers that can install and run executable files, and also have access to the Internet.One of the first network worms spread via the Internet was the Morris worm. It was written by the graduate student of Cornell University Robert Tappan Morris and launched on November 2, 1988, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The damage amounted to approximately $96.5 million. On the photo is a floppy disk with the source code of the worm which is stored in the Museum of Science in Boston.
Industrial systems will also be targeted by cybercriminals more often, as they are more vulnerable than corporate ones.StuxNet is a virus that attacked industrial systems that control production processes. This is the first really used cyber weapon. In 2010, the virus disabled Iran's nuclear facilities, physically destroying the infrastructure: then up to 20% of Iran's nuclear centrifuges could suffer.
In addition, in the next year hackers will more often hack routers and modems, according to Kaspersky Lab.In 1999, the Melissa virus became the first malicious code distributed by e-mail. It managed to disrupt the work of several large companies' mail servers. As a result, the load on mail servers increased, and the processing of e-mail messages ceased or slowed down significantly. The damage was estimated at $80 million. In the photo, there are Fredrik Bjork (on the left) and Joan Ekstrom, experts who helped the FBI to find the author of the virus.
Again, ATMs will be under attack, but experts believe that the attacks will become fully automated, which will shorten the time required for theft. On the photo, there is a British IT expert Marcus Hutchins, suspected of spreading the Kronos virus, with the help of which cyber-masters successfully had been stealing bank card data in 2014-2015. It is noteworthy that a couple of months before his arrest in 2017, Hutchins managed to neutralize the famous encryptor virus WannaCry which attacked 200 000 computers in 150 countries in May 2017. The damage is estimated at $1 billion.
In 2014, the Lazarus virus led to a large-scale leak of personal data of Sony Pictures employees, e-mail, and unreleased films. The damage was estimated at $100 million ($83 million of which - due to the loss of the films being prepared for exhibition). It is believed that the attack on the servers of Sony was realized by the cyber group Lazarus, associated with the government of North Korea.
The computer virus "Chernobyl", also known as CIH, was the first malicious program that was able to damage the hardware of the computer - the Flash BIOS chip. The virus first appeared in June 1998, and since then its epidemic has not stopped.
OPEC and other oil producers including Russia could exit from the global oil supply-cut agreement before 2019 in case the oil market is rebalanced by June.
“We still have a full year left in the agreement, but there is a possibility that we exit the cuts agreement before 2019 if the market is rebalanced by June,” Kuwait’s oil minister Essam al-Marzouq said. He added that Russia was pressuring its partners in the agreement to end it as soon as it is possible.
On November 30, OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers agreed to extend the oil output reduction agreement until the end of 2018. They also signaled a possible early exit from the deal if the market overheats.
According to the Kuwaiti government, the market would rebalance no sooner than the last quarter of 2018 and prices should remain at current levels next year.
OPEC and other oil producers including Russia could exit from the global oil supply-cut agreement before 2019 in case the oil market is rebalanced by June.
“We still have a full year left in the agreement, but there is a possibility that we exit the cuts agreement before 2019 if the market is rebalanced by June,” Kuwait’s oil minister Essam al-Marzouq said. He added that Russia was pressuring its partners in the agreement to end it as soon as it is possible.
On November 30, OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers agreed to extend the oil output reduction agreement until the end of 2018. They also signaled a possible early exit from the deal if the market overheats.
According to the Kuwaiti government, the market would rebalance no sooner than the last quarter of 2018 and prices should remain at current levels next year.
OPEC and other oil producers including Russia could exit from the global oil supply-cut agreement before 2019 in case the oil market is rebalanced by June.
“We still have a full year left in the agreement, but there is a possibility that we exit the cuts agreement before 2019 if the market is rebalanced by June,” Kuwait’s oil minister Essam al-Marzouq said. He added that Russia was pressuring its partners in the agreement to end it as soon as it is possible.
On November 30, OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers agreed to extend the oil output reduction agreement until the end of 2018. They also signaled a possible early exit from the deal if the market overheats.
According to the Kuwaiti government, the market would rebalance no sooner than the last quarter of 2018 and prices should remain at current levels next year.
OPEC and other oil producers including Russia could exit from the global oil supply-cut agreement before 2019 in case the oil market is rebalanced by June.
“We still have a full year left in the agreement, but there is a possibility that we exit the cuts agreement before 2019 if the market is rebalanced by June,” Kuwait’s oil minister Essam al-Marzouq said. He added that Russia was pressuring its partners in the agreement to end it as soon as it is possible.
On November 30, OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers agreed to extend the oil output reduction agreement until the end of 2018. They also signaled a possible early exit from the deal if the market overheats.
According to the Kuwaiti government, the market would rebalance no sooner than the last quarter of 2018 and prices should remain at current levels next year.
Taxes on fast food, board games, church, and pets. This is not a joke at all, modern taxes sometimes amaze with their "seriousness." We will tell you about the most unusual ones in our article.
Monthly, every German citizen provides a financial support to the Church. The church tax rate is 2.75-3.5%. Any citizen has the right to refuse to pay but then they will be excommunicated, cannot be buried in a church cemetery, work in hospitals and schools belonging to the Church, and will not be allowed to communion. Anastasia Kantorova, an analyst at the KB Strelka Center for Urban Economics, notes that 10,000 people refuse to pay tax every year. And in 2014, when the authorities decided to impose a church income tax on capital gains, a record 300,000 people refused to pay.
Every year, inhabitants of Tokyo pay 200-400 yens for a hectare of a site where extraction of minerals is conducted. Individual rates are set for oil, gas, and gold.
Residents of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have to pay for the maintenance of pets. The amount of tax is set depending on the dog breed and residence area. For example, in Stuttgart, a person will have to pay 108 euros a year for the first dog, 216 for the second one, and 612 for a four-legged friend of a fighting breed. Annually, the tax brings up to 250 million euros to the German Treasury.
Those who are engaged in commercial activities in Manhattan south of 96th Street (and this is most of Manhattan, which only does not include the territory of Columbia University and Harlem), as well as if the rent of premises per year estimates at $250,000, people pay an additional tax with a rate of 3.9% of the lease.
After the FRG and GDR merged in 1991, the authorities introduced a solidarity tax. Initially, it was planned as temporary, but it still works. The tax rate is 5.5% of the income tax. It is charged if the total annual income tax of a corporation or an employee of an organization is over 972 euros. Despite the fact that German residents have repeatedly voiced opposition to the preservation of the tax, the German court continues to believe that it does not contradict the laws of the country's constitution.
The most unusual tax in this list is charged in New York. Buyers of bagels have to pay an extra 8 cents if they buy the one that was cut. The authorities imposed a tax to cover state debt of $9.2 billion. Actually, it soon became clear that the same goods were subject to two different taxes: according to the New York tax code, the food eaten at the counter is different from the food people take with them.
In France, there are two taxes on real estate: on property and on residence. That is, if a person lived in his apartment on January 1, then he will pay the tax on property and on residence and if he leases his dwelling - then only on the property, and the tax on residence will have to be paid by his lessee. The amount of tax per year varies from 478 euros (tax for Paris) to 1190 euros (for the city of Amiens in the north of France).
Another anecdotal tax was introduced on July 1 this year in India, where all board games, including chess and Monopoly, are recognized as a luxury product. This led to their appreciation by 20%. According to the Hindustan Times, television, baby food (piece), butter, liver, and jam are also subject to an increased tax of more than 100 rupees ($ 1.6); on corn flakes and shoes - more than 500 rupees ($ 7.8). However, the authorities decided to reduce the tax for some products, including cell phones, ready-made clothes, medicines, contact lenses, and handmade musical instruments.
In the Indian state of Kerala, there is a tax on fast food. The tax rate is 14.5% of the cost of pizza or burger. Large companies like Pizza Hut and Burger King express concern that this tax will make the goods less affordable, so they are ready to bear these costs themselves, not reflecting them in the buyer's check.
The authorities of Vancouver and Paris intend to increase the supply in the housing market. In these cities, there is a tax for empty housing. According to the plan, this should encourage apartment owners to sell their vacant premises or rent them out. For Vancouver, the rate is 1% of the apartment's cadastral value. In Paris in 2015, a tax of 20% on residence was introduced, which tripled to 60% in a year.
Taxes on fast food, board games, church, and pets. This is not a joke at all, modern taxes sometimes amaze with their "seriousness." We will tell you about the most unusual ones in our article.
Monthly, every German citizen provides a financial support to the Church. The church tax rate is 2.75-3.5%. Any citizen has the right to refuse to pay but then they will be excommunicated, cannot be buried in a church cemetery, work in hospitals and schools belonging to the Church, and will not be allowed to communion. Anastasia Kantorova, an analyst at the KB Strelka Center for Urban Economics, notes that 10,000 people refuse to pay tax every year. And in 2014, when the authorities decided to impose a church income tax on capital gains, a record 300,000 people refused to pay.
Every year, inhabitants of Tokyo pay 200-400 yens for a hectare of a site where extraction of minerals is conducted. Individual rates are set for oil, gas, and gold.
Residents of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have to pay for the maintenance of pets. The amount of tax is set depending on the dog breed and residence area. For example, in Stuttgart, a person will have to pay 108 euros a year for the first dog, 216 for the second one, and 612 for a four-legged friend of a fighting breed. Annually, the tax brings up to 250 million euros to the German Treasury.
Those who are engaged in commercial activities in Manhattan south of 96th Street (and this is most of Manhattan, which only does not include the territory of Columbia University and Harlem), as well as if the rent of premises per year estimates at $250,000, people pay an additional tax with a rate of 3.9% of the lease.
After the FRG and GDR merged in 1991, the authorities introduced a solidarity tax. Initially, it was planned as temporary, but it still works. The tax rate is 5.5% of the income tax. It is charged if the total annual income tax of a corporation or an employee of an organization is over 972 euros. Despite the fact that German residents have repeatedly voiced opposition to the preservation of the tax, the German court continues to believe that it does not contradict the laws of the country's constitution.
The most unusual tax in this list is charged in New York. Buyers of bagels have to pay an extra 8 cents if they buy the one that was cut. The authorities imposed a tax to cover state debt of $9.2 billion. Actually, it soon became clear that the same goods were subject to two different taxes: according to the New York tax code, the food eaten at the counter is different from the food people take with them.
In France, there are two taxes on real estate: on property and on residence. That is, if a person lived in his apartment on January 1, then he will pay the tax on property and on residence and if he leases his dwelling - then only on the property, and the tax on residence will have to be paid by his lessee. The amount of tax per year varies from 478 euros (tax for Paris) to 1190 euros (for the city of Amiens in the north of France).
Another anecdotal tax was introduced on July 1 this year in India, where all board games, including chess and Monopoly, are recognized as a luxury product. This led to their appreciation by 20%. According to the Hindustan Times, television, baby food (piece), butter, liver, and jam are also subject to an increased tax of more than 100 rupees ($ 1.6); on corn flakes and shoes - more than 500 rupees ($ 7.8). However, the authorities decided to reduce the tax for some products, including cell phones, ready-made clothes, medicines, contact lenses, and handmade musical instruments.
In the Indian state of Kerala, there is a tax on fast food. The tax rate is 14.5% of the cost of pizza or burger. Large companies like Pizza Hut and Burger King express concern that this tax will make the goods less affordable, so they are ready to bear these costs themselves, not reflecting them in the buyer's check.
The authorities of Vancouver and Paris intend to increase the supply in the housing market. In these cities, there is a tax for empty housing. According to the plan, this should encourage apartment owners to sell their vacant premises or rent them out. For Vancouver, the rate is 1% of the apartment's cadastral value. In Paris in 2015, a tax of 20% on residence was introduced, which tripled to 60% in a year.
Taxes on fast food, board games, church, and pets. This is not a joke at all, modern taxes sometimes amaze with their "seriousness." We will tell you about the most unusual ones in our article.
Monthly, every German citizen provides a financial support to the Church. The church tax rate is 2.75-3.5%. Any citizen has the right to refuse to pay but then they will be excommunicated, cannot be buried in a church cemetery, work in hospitals and schools belonging to the Church, and will not be allowed to communion. Anastasia Kantorova, an analyst at the KB Strelka Center for Urban Economics, notes that 10,000 people refuse to pay tax every year. And in 2014, when the authorities decided to impose a church income tax on capital gains, a record 300,000 people refused to pay.
Every year, inhabitants of Tokyo pay 200-400 yens for a hectare of a site where extraction of minerals is conducted. Individual rates are set for oil, gas, and gold.
Residents of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have to pay for the maintenance of pets. The amount of tax is set depending on the dog breed and residence area. For example, in Stuttgart, a person will have to pay 108 euros a year for the first dog, 216 for the second one, and 612 for a four-legged friend of a fighting breed. Annually, the tax brings up to 250 million euros to the German Treasury.
Those who are engaged in commercial activities in Manhattan south of 96th Street (and this is most of Manhattan, which only does not include the territory of Columbia University and Harlem), as well as if the rent of premises per year estimates at $250,000, people pay an additional tax with a rate of 3.9% of the lease.
After the FRG and GDR merged in 1991, the authorities introduced a solidarity tax. Initially, it was planned as temporary, but it still works. The tax rate is 5.5% of the income tax. It is charged if the total annual income tax of a corporation or an employee of an organization is over 972 euros. Despite the fact that German residents have repeatedly voiced opposition to the preservation of the tax, the German court continues to believe that it does not contradict the laws of the country's constitution.
The most unusual tax in this list is charged in New York. Buyers of bagels have to pay an extra 8 cents if they buy the one that was cut. The authorities imposed a tax to cover state debt of $9.2 billion. Actually, it soon became clear that the same goods were subject to two different taxes: according to the New York tax code, the food eaten at the counter is different from the food people take with them.
In France, there are two taxes on real estate: on property and on residence. That is, if a person lived in his apartment on January 1, then he will pay the tax on property and on residence and if he leases his dwelling - then only on the property, and the tax on residence will have to be paid by his lessee. The amount of tax per year varies from 478 euros (tax for Paris) to 1190 euros (for the city of Amiens in the north of France).
Another anecdotal tax was introduced on July 1 this year in India, where all board games, including chess and Monopoly, are recognized as a luxury product. This led to their appreciation by 20%. According to the Hindustan Times, television, baby food (piece), butter, liver, and jam are also subject to an increased tax of more than 100 rupees ($ 1.6); on corn flakes and shoes - more than 500 rupees ($ 7.8). However, the authorities decided to reduce the tax for some products, including cell phones, ready-made clothes, medicines, contact lenses, and handmade musical instruments.
In the Indian state of Kerala, there is a tax on fast food. The tax rate is 14.5% of the cost of pizza or burger. Large companies like Pizza Hut and Burger King express concern that this tax will make the goods less affordable, so they are ready to bear these costs themselves, not reflecting them in the buyer's check.
The authorities of Vancouver and Paris intend to increase the supply in the housing market. In these cities, there is a tax for empty housing. According to the plan, this should encourage apartment owners to sell their vacant premises or rent them out. For Vancouver, the rate is 1% of the apartment's cadastral value. In Paris in 2015, a tax of 20% on residence was introduced, which tripled to 60% in a year.
Bitcoin has become the sixth most circulated currency in the world, leaving the pound sterling, Russian ruble and Korean won behind, the Bank of International Settlements reported.
The Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, euro, dollar and the Indian rupee are the top currencies.
According to analysts, after rising to $15,000 bitcoin will replace India's national currency and will become the world's fifth largest currency.
In its calculations, the bank took into account the price of $10,766. Interestingly, other cryptocurrencies were also included in the ranking. Ethereum was ranked 17th, while Bitcoin Cash was 20th, leaving the Czech koruna and South African rand behind.
Bitcoin has become the sixth most circulated currency in the world, leaving the pound sterling, Russian ruble and Korean won behind, the Bank of International Settlements reported.
The Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, euro, dollar and the Indian rupee are the top currencies.
According to analysts, after rising to $15,000 bitcoin will replace India's national currency and will become the world's fifth largest currency.
In its calculations, the bank took into account the price of $10,766. Interestingly, other cryptocurrencies were also included in the ranking. Ethereum was ranked 17th, while Bitcoin Cash was 20th, leaving the Czech koruna and South African rand behind.
Forbes released its annual 2017 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list. Forbes determines its ranking by evaluating four categories: money – which covers net worth, company revenues, assets under management, or GDP – media presence, influence, and impact.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was declared as the most influential woman in politics by the American magazine Forbes for another year. She is followed by the British Prime Minister Theresa May and other high-ranking ladies.
1. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of GermanyThe German Chancellor Angela Merkel has held the top spot on the Forbes Most Powerful Women List for seven consecutive years, and 12 years in total. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's strong position is due to continued low unemployment and strong economic growth, which reached 3.5 trillion GDP. dollar in 2016, according to data from the World Bank.
2. Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United KingdomAnother prominent political leader, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, ranked second. It is her first time appearing on Forbes' annual list. She became a rookie of the rating due to the success in politics and the passage of the Brexit procedure.
3. Ivanka Trump, US Presidential AdvisorIvanka Trump, senior adviser to and daughter of President Donald Trump, made the list for the first time, debuting at the third position.
4. Queen Elizabeth IILast September, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in more than 1,200 years of British history (her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years and 216 days). At 90, she is also the world's oldest monarch, setting the tone at public events and receiving world leaders and other visiting dignitaries at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
5. Elvira Nabiullina, Governor of the Russian Central BankThe fifth line of the Forbes rating is occupied by the Governor of the Russian Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina. This month the Russian central bank reduced its benchmark a half point, to 8.5%, and eyed further easing in the next two quarters – with inflation at a record low of 3%. Nabiullina's cautious approach has helped entice investors to buy the ruble.
6. Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief, RTA year ago, most people had no idea who Margarita Simonyan was. Now, she's being discussed in tech, media and political circles as the outsized influence of her Russian TV network, RT, comes into focus.
7. Hillary Clinton, Former US Presidential CandidateHer shocking loss in last year's presidential election pushed Clinton way down our list this year. And while Clinton may have been knocked down after the election, she stepped back into the public eye earlier this year with the release of her book What Happened.
Forbes released its annual 2017 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list. Forbes determines its ranking by evaluating four categories: money – which covers net worth, company revenues, assets under management, or GDP – media presence, influence, and impact.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was declared as the most influential woman in politics by the American magazine Forbes for another year. She is followed by the British Prime Minister Theresa May and other high-ranking ladies.
1. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of GermanyThe German Chancellor Angela Merkel has held the top spot on the Forbes Most Powerful Women List for seven consecutive years, and 12 years in total. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's strong position is due to continued low unemployment and strong economic growth, which reached 3.5 trillion GDP. dollar in 2016, according to data from the World Bank.
2. Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United KingdomAnother prominent political leader, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, ranked second. It is her first time appearing on Forbes' annual list. She became a rookie of the rating due to the success in politics and the passage of the Brexit procedure.
3. Ivanka Trump, US Presidential AdvisorIvanka Trump, senior adviser to and daughter of President Donald Trump, made the list for the first time, debuting at the third position.
4. Queen Elizabeth IILast September, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in more than 1,200 years of British history (her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years and 216 days). At 90, she is also the world's oldest monarch, setting the tone at public events and receiving world leaders and other visiting dignitaries at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
5. Elvira Nabiullina, Governor of the Russian Central BankThe fifth line of the Forbes rating is occupied by the Governor of the Russian Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina. This month the Russian central bank reduced its benchmark a half point, to 8.5%, and eyed further easing in the next two quarters – with inflation at a record low of 3%. Nabiullina's cautious approach has helped entice investors to buy the ruble.
6. Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief, RTA year ago, most people had no idea who Margarita Simonyan was. Now, she's being discussed in tech, media and political circles as the outsized influence of her Russian TV network, RT, comes into focus.
7. Hillary Clinton, Former US Presidential CandidateHer shocking loss in last year's presidential election pushed Clinton way down our list this year. And while Clinton may have been knocked down after the election, she stepped back into the public eye earlier this year with the release of her book What Happened.
Forbes released its annual 2017 World's 100 Most Powerful Women list. Forbes determines its ranking by evaluating four categories: money – which covers net worth, company revenues, assets under management, or GDP – media presence, influence, and impact.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was declared as the most influential woman in politics by the American magazine Forbes for another year. She is followed by the British Prime Minister Theresa May and other high-ranking ladies.
1. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of GermanyThe German Chancellor Angela Merkel has held the top spot on the Forbes Most Powerful Women List for seven consecutive years, and 12 years in total. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's strong position is due to continued low unemployment and strong economic growth, which reached 3.5 trillion GDP. dollar in 2016, according to data from the World Bank.
2. Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United KingdomAnother prominent political leader, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, ranked second. It is her first time appearing on Forbes' annual list. She became a rookie of the rating due to the success in politics and the passage of the Brexit procedure.
3. Ivanka Trump, US Presidential AdvisorIvanka Trump, senior adviser to and daughter of President Donald Trump, made the list for the first time, debuting at the third position.
4. Queen Elizabeth IILast September, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in more than 1,200 years of British history (her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years and 216 days). At 90, she is also the world's oldest monarch, setting the tone at public events and receiving world leaders and other visiting dignitaries at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
5. Elvira Nabiullina, Governor of the Russian Central BankThe fifth line of the Forbes rating is occupied by the Governor of the Russian Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina. This month the Russian central bank reduced its benchmark a half point, to 8.5%, and eyed further easing in the next two quarters – with inflation at a record low of 3%. Nabiullina's cautious approach has helped entice investors to buy the ruble.
6. Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief, RTA year ago, most people had no idea who Margarita Simonyan was. Now, she's being discussed in tech, media and political circles as the outsized influence of her Russian TV network, RT, comes into focus.
7. Hillary Clinton, Former US Presidential CandidateHer shocking loss in last year's presidential election pushed Clinton way down our list this year. And while Clinton may have been knocked down after the election, she stepped back into the public eye earlier this year with the release of her book What Happened.
