The flaw of averages in U.S. corporate income taxes: an evaluation from the taxpayer’s perspective

In a market environment of intense competition for capital investment and use of funds, well managed companies place a significant emphasis on cash controls to optimize performance and increase attractiveness to investors. In the United States one of the most significant cash requirements is a company’s federal income tax liability. (1) For all but a few privileged firms, reliable estimation of cash tax needs is crucial to operations. It is also hard to ignore that we live in an age where company performance is measured by market analysts on a quarter-to-quarter basis. This puts pressure on companies: (1) to avoid surprises from the analyst consensus of forecasted quarterly earnings and after-tax free cash flows; and (2) to reduce volatility in effective tax rates which may be driven by income tax return positions.

Problems in quantifying the social costs and benefits of gambling

THE GAMBLING LITERATURE includes research by psychologists, sociologist, economists, lawyers, and others. One area of interest to all of these researchers is how to quantify the costs and benefits of gambling. There is little agreement among researchers about the appropriate way to conceptualize and quantify the effects of gambling on society. Part of this disagreement is due to the different perspectives from which they approach the problem. Also, since the literature is still very young, one cannot expect agreement among all researchers. The gambling literature has a variety of problems, some of which I will discuss in this paper. It is important to understand these problems because a failure to consider them can lead to a misinterpretation of published cost-benefit analyses and misinformed policy prescriptions involving an important and growing industry. In addition, clarification on some issues is necessary before the literature can progress.

State lotteries and agency costs: hidden costs to nonparticipants

Nonparticipants expect to benefit. Participants bear any attributable costs voluntarily in exchange for the privilege of gambling. From the perspective of self-interest, both participants and nonparticipants seem to have reasons to support lotteries.

The perception that nonparticipants benefit does not take into account an essential factor: the effect of lotteries on state legislatures. Lotteries provide state legislatures with a revenue source without the political risk of passing an explicit tax. Does this inflow of “free money” alter the expenditure decisions of state legislatures? Applying the principal-agent model, this paper examines how state lotteries increase agency costs that are borne by all citizens of the state. The result raises an additional criticism of lotteries that has implications for nonparticipants whose support for lotteries is based on expected tax benefits.

10 Best Cities For-Black Women

Considering those desires, EBONY has compiled a list of 10 cities that Rank among the best places for Black women to live. Our findings may surprise you. Some cities you might expect to find on the list–such as Washington, D.C., and New York City–didn’t make the cut when we stacked them against smaller Southern and Midwestern metropolises like Memphis and Cleveland.

“Bigger isn’t necessarily better,” says Dr. Larry E. Davis, author of Black and Single. “Bigger cities may have more numbers, but they may be more difficult places to meet people because people are more guarded. Some of the smaller places may show more friendliness and charm.”

Unconvinced? We go right to the source–Black women and men who live in the 10 featured cities สะหวันเวกัส–to find out why these cities are so attractive. Other areas worth examining, according to our experts, include Seattle, Austin, Charleston, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., Nashville and Minneapolis, the only major city with a Black woman mayor.

Development effect from casinos.

To see this, consider Walker’s (2007a) discussion of mutually beneficial voluntary transactions. Grinols discusses the development effect of a casino as if it depends on whether the consumers and casino owners are local to the region or outsiders. We would argue this is a superficial dichotomy. With any voluntary transaction, both parties expect to benefit, regardless of the direction of money flow. Yes, a new firm (e.g., casino) in an economy might put competitive pressure on other local firms. But this is how capitalism works, and consumers benefit from competition.

Adopting casino gambling appears to at first provide a boost to the economy, but that boost appears to be relatively short-lived. Further research on individual states would be beneficial once adequate data become available.

Do casinos cause economic growth?

CASINO GAMBLING HAS BECOME a very popular, widely available form of entertainment in the United States and many other countries. The industry has spread rapidly in the last 20 years but, relative to its size worldwide, there has been little scientific analysis of the social and economic effects of gambling. This is starting to change, as more than just a handful of researchers are now studying casino gambling. Still, there is little empirical evidence on its economic effects. While the industry clearly contributes tax money to state coffers, there have been few studies on whether casinos otherwise contribute to economic development. Indeed, the rapid expansion of the casino industry in the United States during the 1990s was rather surprising, given how little research had been performed. This is not to say that there was not debate in the literature. There was, but there has been little empirical evidence presented on the economic effects of the casino industry.

In this paper, we examine the relationship between casino gambling and state-level economic growth using a Granger-causality test modified for use with panel data. Our results indicate that there is not a Granger-causal relationship between casino gambling and state-level economic growth, at least when annual data are analyzed. These results contradict results from an earlier study that used quarterly data, and call for a rationalization.

The paper is organized into six sections: Section II is a brief review of the casino economics literature. In Section III, we explain our empirical methodology and the data; Section IV explains the model and results. Section V is a discussion of the results, and Section VI concludes the paper.

honolulu green hotels

Hawaiian islands contain some of the world’s most precious natural resources, so it’s important to our boutique Honolulu hotel group that we be environmentally conscious. As we redesign many of our Waikiki Beach hotels, we will be instituting eco-friendly policies and procedures. As a participant in Waikiki’s revitalization effort, we feel it’s necessary to minimize impact on the environment with earth-friendly practices.

As part of Aqua’s ongoing commitment to green initiatives, Coconut Waikiki Hotel is now the second Aqua property (first was Aqua Aloha Surf  Waikiki) to install Green Key Switches in all of their guest rooms. The way these switches work is, the guest places their key card into the thermostat control unit while the room is occupied, when the guest leaves the room, the thermostat and other energy controls go into energy-saving mode.

William Henderson, Vice President of Development.

During his more than 35-year business career in Hawaii, Bill has held senior executive positions in a range of tourism, hospitality and transportation entities throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Region, including involvement in development, management, marketing, finance, operations, and virtually all aspects of the travel industry.

In the hospitality industry, Bill most recently served as Vice President of Business Development for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, where he planned and executed growth and diversification efforts that resulted in the transformation of a company that owned and/or operated 20 hotels (18 in Waikiki) in Hawaii, to a Pacific-wide regional power with more than 50 hotels/resorts throughout the Hawaiian Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Majuro and French Polynesia.

Prior to Outrigger, Bill served as Regional VP for Colony Resorts, where he grew their portfolio from 7 to 17 resorts, and increased revenues three-fold. He also led Colony’s expansion to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and Park City, Utah.

In the transportation sector, Bill held executive-level positions that included positions as Senior VP Marketing and Services for Hawaiian Airlines, VP Marketing and Sales for Aloha Airlines, and Executive VP for South Pacific Airlines.

Most recently he was president and CEO of JetAway

Previously Ben directed Cambridge Technology Partners’ Innovation Center and NewCo Solutions practices. In this role, Ben managed the practice and was responsible for major business development activities. In 1996, Ben and two partners founded Innerlinx (renamed LiveBid). Acquired by Amazon.com for a significant return to investors, Livebid’s real-time auction model was the recognized leader in the space.

Ben began his career in the marketing and distribution department of Westin Hotels & Resorts. In various roles, including emerging technologies manager, he helped create one of the first hospitality sites and booking engines on the Web and significantly expanded Westin’s Premier frequency program through the use of database marketing.

Ben is an active participant in angel investor and startup communities and serves on various boards for hospitality and technology companies. In his current position at Aqua Hotels & Resorts, Ben is charged with advancing the company’s global growth strategy.

Western MA Tornado Relief: ReBuild Western Massachusetts

a program developed by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and administered in partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), was announced on August 4th and will distribute more than $8 million to help building owners affected by the tornadoes rebuild using energy efficiency practices and renewable energy technologies. Eligible participants include those who can document damage caused by the June 1 storms, and who own buildings in communities in Hampden and Worcester Counties, including: Agawam, Westfield, West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield, Southbridge and Sturbridge.

The program will offer incentives for solar PV and solar thermal systems, as well as for renewable heating and hot water systems. Zero-interest loans and grants for building with energy efficient windows, doors, attic and wall insulation, and heating equipment will be offered to homeowner victims. Later this year, offerings will include energy efficiency and renewable energy assistance for other building owners, including businesses and municipalities. “There is now a package of incentives for these communities to rebuild cleaner, greener and more efficiently than ever before,” said DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia. “For homeowners and businesses these programs bring significant reductions in energy costs and deep energy efficiency savings. These measures will also cut energy consumption, cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our dependence on imported energy sources.”

It is important to note that of the approximately $22 billion Massachusetts spends annually on energy, 80% – or nearly $18 billion – goes out of the state and the country to purchase coal, oil and natural gas from Canada, the Middle East and South America.  ReBuild Western Massachusetts aims to encourage building owners to rebuild using cleaner energy alternatives thereby helping to keep energy sources local while decreasing GHG emissions.