Sabine Hossenfelder, research fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, writes: What we have here in the foundation of physics is a plain failure of the scientific method. All these wrong predictions should have taught physicists that just because they can write down equations for something does not mean this math is a scientifically promising hypothesis. String theory, supersymmetry, multiverses….
Tag: tax
New York Is Proposing the Creation of a ‘Public Venmo’
pnutjam writes: New York is proposing a statewide virtual currency aimed at helping unbanked citizens get access to day-to-day financial transactions without predatory fees. Since there are an estimated 14 million U.S. adults without bank accounts, lawmakers in New York are trying to fix this with a new bill that “would create a ‘public Venmo’ system designed to include more people…
IRS Reforms Free File Program, Drops Agreement Not To Compete With TurboTax
Finding free online tax filing should be easier this year for millions of Americans. From a report: The IRS announced significant changes Monday to its deal with the tax prep software industry. Now companies are barred from hiding their free products from search engines such as Google, and a years-old prohibition on the IRS creating its own online filing system has…
French Court Clears Social Media Tracking Plan in Tax Crackdown
France’s government can pursue plans to trawl social media to detect tax avoidance, its Constitutional Court ruled last week, although it introduced limitations on what information can be collected following a privacy outcry. From a report: The new rules, part of a broader law on tax changes passed by the lower house of parliament earlier this month, add to the state’s…
Turkey Unveils First Fully Homemade Car In $3.7 Billion Bet On Electric
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Turkey unveiled its first fully domestically-produced car on Friday, saying it aimed to eventually produce up to 175,000 a year of the electric vehicle in a project expected to cost $3.7 billion over 13 years. The project has been a long-time goal of President Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling AK Party as a…
Italy Follows France in Levying a Digital Tax
Italy soon will join France in applying a new tax on large tech companies, a move that could deepen trans-Atlantic trade tensions and snarl up already-faltering negotiations over how best to tax companies such as Facebook and Google parent Alphabet. From a report: The new tax, passed this week by Italy’s parliament, will take effect Jan. 1. Similar to the tax…
40% of Anti-Vaccine Group’s Funding Came From Wealthy ‘Alternative Health’ Vendor
An anonymous reader quotes the Washington Post: The nation’s oldest anti-vaccine advocacy group often emphasizes that it is supported primarily by small donations and concerned parents, describing its founder as the leader of a “national, grass roots movement.” But over the past decade a single donor has contributed more than $2.9 million to the National Vaccine Information Center, accounting for about…
Multiple States Are Investigating Intuit Over TurboTax Free File Marketing
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ProPublica: Multiple state attorneys general, including Josh Stein of North Carolina, have opened investigations of TurboTax maker Intuit, following ProPublica’s reporting that the company charged millions of Americans for tax filing services they were eligible to receive for free, according to people with knowledge of the investigations. As part of the investigations, Intuit has…
Free Software Foundation Offers Benefits and Merchandise In Its Annual Fundraiser
An anonymous reader writes:
The Free Software Foundation is holding its annual fundraiser, with a goal of attracting 600 new members by the end of December. (New members so far: 112.) “We are still fighting the oppressive nature of proprietary software,” explains the campaign’s web page. “We have made solid inroads, and the community is as passionate as ever.” As a 501(c)(3)…
Walmart Dodged US Tax on $2 Billion by Routing Cash Through Multiple Countries, Whistleblower Says
Walmart, the world’s biggest retail company, underpaid US taxes on nearly $2 billion worth of offshore cash, according to whistleblower documents filed by a former Walmart executive to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2011, and recently obtained by Quartz. From the report: The firm avoided nearly $200 million in taxes on that money and “dramatically” overstated its foreign tax credits…