Make sense but sadly not likely, here is why, "Winner takes all politics" re Why public companies should have public tax returns | @FelixSalmon

Why public companies should have public tax returns | Felix Salmon:


this makes perfect sense & yet another brilliant post, Felix..!

but sadly given the eloquently written thesis/book  by Jacob Hacker & Paul Pierson, on "Winner takes all politics", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winner-Take-All_Politics_(book)

See interview here: https://vimeo.com/35036408 (over a year ago but still relevant)


Jacob Hacker & Paul Pierson on Winner Take All Politics from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

sadly this time, looks to me US needed some outside help (not sure if they really recognise that this is a fundamental problem and needed fixing!)..

Not likely however.. lets hope I am wrong in this instance. what do you think?

BR
@GarethWong

Yes please, but surely some things to consider 4 John Caudwell? If I can pay £250m tax, so can my fellow billionaires | The Sunday Times

If I can pay £250m tax, so can my fellow billionaires | The Sunday Times:

It is great and brilliant that John is taking the moral high ground and setting an example for other billionaires.. many other UK billionaires should take heed, likewise how he aims to give wealth away to make a different is also awe inspiring (not sure many will follow sadly but fingers crossed). 

His comments and experiences are most applicable to other firms that are operating mostly in UK, like Acadia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phones_4u & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia_Group ) but as you can see, Green family is offshore also (not saying it is right or wrong but already practising and using instruments that is being reported for big corporates)

No doubt therefore running firms like google/amazon would be rather different from phone4U in UK...

Indeed, it is only few years back that John was also trying to fight for his rights..  (Phones4U boss loses £13m tax fight | This is Money, 24 July 2005 http://bit.ly/10KFnET) 

US indeed have similar challenges: @GarethWong: Must read, view from within US, corporate tax nationally, and what has changed.. very real national problem! re We’re living in an Ayn Rand economy - Salon.com http://bit.ly/13JcVbT

Transfer pricing is a world problem, not only UK, as I briefly blogged: @GarethWong: Challenge of Transfer Pricing, My comments/data needed to support Eric Schmidt: At Google we aspire to do the right thing. So we welcome a debate on international tax reform | Eric Schmidt|Comment is free|The Observer http://bit.ly/10KG690

Given all the philanthropic work of John, why not take the leadership position and fixing this for the world!?? see what professor Adam Grant has to say about that, and maybe learn from @LJA_Foundation.. ?? (https://www.quora.com/Charities-1/How-best-to-do-intelligent-giving )

The news article may have taken the wrong angle and/or I may have taken the wrong end of the stick.. if so, apologies. 

Must read, view from within US, corporate tax nationally, and what has changed.. very real national problem! re We’re living in an Ayn Rand economy - Salon.com

We’re living in an Ayn Rand economy - Salon.com:

This is a very important national view in US, the other side of the coin of the last post.

must read article and highlighted a very important national issue!

the system is indeed broken. no end or solution in sight sadly.

BR
@GarethWong


"So Who Has To Pay?

Middle-class families. The $2 trillion in tax losses from underpayments, expenditures, and tax havens costs every middle-class family about $20,000 in community benefits, including health care and education and food and housing.

Schoolkids, too. A study of 265 large companies by Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) determined that about $14 billion per year in state income taxes was unpaid over three years. That’s approximately equal to the loss of 2012-13 education funding due to budget cuts.

And the lowest-income taxpayers make up the difference, based on new data that shows that the Earned Income Tax Credit is the single biggest compliance problem cited by the IRS. The average sentence for cheating with secret offshore financial accounts, according to the Wall Street Journal, is about half as long as in some other types of tax cases.

Atlas Can’t Be Found Among the Rich

Only 3 percent of the CEOs, upper management, and financial professionals were entrepreneurs in 2005, even though they made up about 60 percent of the richest .1% of Americans. A recent study found that less than 1 percent of all entrepreneurs came from very rich or very poor backgrounds. Job creators come from the middle class.

So if the super-rich are not holding the world on their shoulders, what do they do with their money? According to both Marketwatch and economist Edward Wolff, over 90 percent of the assets owned by millionaires are held in a combination of low-risk investments (bonds and cash), personal business accounts, the stock market, and real estate.

Ayn Rand’s hero John Galt said, “We are on strike against those who believe that one man must exist for the sake of another.” In his world, Atlas has it easy, with only himself to think about."

Challenge of Transfer Pricing, My comments/data needed to support Eric Schmidt: At Google we aspire to do the right thing. So we welcome a debate on international tax reform | Eric Schmidt | Comment is free | The Observer

At Google we aspire to do the right thing. So we welcome a debate on international tax reform | Eric Schmidt | Comment is free | The Observer:

Despite I did not agree with you last time we encounter re China re reforms, in this instance, I agree with you Eric, but don't envy your challenge as UK like most other governments worldwide are sadly run by popular sentiments (can we blame them!?) and sadly most do not understand the bigger macro/international picture of Transfer pricing (for those of you interested, this 1998 article explains high level what it is: http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/1998/jul/carter.htm ) add the international politics to it, and competitive situation between multinationals and further complicate that with "no one country can legislate for the world"... this sadly means you are in a "no win" situation! 

IMHO (I am probably wrong), contribution of a company is not and should not be measured by ONLY one standard (corporation tax) but a balanced score card approach should be adopted, namely how much "other tax" is Google and others major firms paying? are all the staff paying the right amount of PAYE and other tax? do the Corporations contribute in money and in kind and make a measurable impact to the local/national society?? by all means lets get the real life data/measurements and compare that with the local council (government) vs  other national firms, and multinationals?? 

Indeed, it is not a good excuse for firms not to pay tax, but this is indeed an endemic problem of the capital market, which is highlighted very well by the brilliant book of Prof. Colin Mayers's Firm Commitment.

Talk and accusation by popular culture (press/committee judge & jury) is cheap, "real actions", measurable results and lasting impact speak for itself, no!? Lets find out the real problem and devise a viable solution. 

Please forgive my probably flawed & grammatically wrong post but I hope the central idea was conveyed. 

BR
@GarethWong

What would happen if this was in UK!?? How Chris Hadfield brought space travel back to us Earthlings - Telegraph

How Chris Hadfield brought space travel back to us Earthlings - Telegraph:

Brilliant indeed. Well done to the commander and Canada! 

A thought just came to my mind, why do we not have such brilliance from UK yet!!?  

Maybe the potential consequence of any such creativity might bring? (some might argue that)  if this happens in UK's space station (if there was one!) and with a British astronaut that did such great work (whether or not his/she could sing).  All we could hear now would be the MPs shouting to each other in parliament and media/lobby groups' complaint as to why the money was spent on making such frivolous video!? 

Lets wait and see what  @RichardBranson   video will be like when Galactic flies... no doubt that video will be interesting but it will be his and his financier's achievements.

my comments re What if you learned about personal branding from the greats? | LinkedIn

What if you learned about personal branding from the greats? | LinkedIn:

great post and IMHO if I might add, need to adopt sun tze art of war: 知己知彼，百战不殆. namely know thyself and know your enemy (the world/competitions), 

1.) Know yourself, 

2.) where you want to go and 

3.) then you can devise the right strategy, self branding included. 

the brilliant three examples (in the above blog, Richard brandson, Martha Stewart & Bill Gates) are case in point, we cannot create the same successes (and no one will be able to, ever!) due to the fact that we are not them.  

However we can and have to create our own success (having our own history, challenges, personal stories..) so, first step might be to look back and have a "personal away day"... decide where you come from, where you would like to go, and then decide on how and in fact whether you wanted a personal brand!?

I think having fame & fortune (at least at level of the 3 mentioned) might just be over-rated. :)

BR

@GarethWong

My comments re What Would Ashton Do—and Does It Matter? - Harvard Business Review

What Would Ashton Do—and Does It Matter? - Harvard Business Review:
(must read article & research links above)

I would like to argue that most things relating to celebrities are meaningless.. as per the brilliant documentary done by Chris Atkins shown on Starsuckers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starsuckers

although some celebrities are using their fame to help people, invest in firms like Ashton and maybe likes of @Stephenfry is doing something more by engaging & challenging our mind with his learned intellectual programs (I have to confess I don't watch much TV even before seeing starsuckers)

IMHO, present days popularity and fame is very much like in the 20/30s , they can only influence how you spend the leisure pound, and how they can potentially manipulate media for a 'cause'... 

love the comments made by @annielennox made when she received the HONORARY SKOLL AWARD FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP @skollworldforum  this year reiterating her previous points (Annie Lennox attacks 'horrible' TV talent shows with 'stupid row of judges' - Telegraph http://bit.ly/16giVM2 ) but pointing towards the kardashians (still don't know what the fuss is about, beyond me)

please do not forget that Ashton does not mean anything outside of the popular culture, I am quite sure he is a lovely guy and happy to share a cup of tea with him if he is a down to earth guy.. 

you asked the 1 right question, which is "real influence" should be measured by money or time spent that is done based on suggestions by the influencer.. good example is money spent (e.g. donation to church, local community centre, charity) or time spent /habit change, like joining a martial art club to church choir or really get involved with a local homeless charity, local farm or even create own transparent foundation (not one of those that create one's own worshipping community, fine line, I know!)

Online/mobile, it is very difficult to fit into my definition above as people just change the habit of location of consumption (How to waste one's time)... the best measure I would like to argue then is how much money is spent (only viable measurement) but we human would not like to ask obvious questions, as typically we KNOW we do not like the answers (like why our banks do not know how risky their positions are!? ) .. 

the question is how much money is spent online based on the 'influence', have you guys noticed that there is no research whatsoever on how much total money spent online by whom, via whom and for what!? likewise, if google is the defacto standards, why they charge on per click and why not through per transaction done via their system?? (I love Google services though, as I cannot find any alternatives! so, pls don't break it up yet until I find a replacement for the G-services)

fact of the matter is most people (me included) do not challenge ourselves enough and it is much easier to consume (passive, to be influenced but hardly lifting off fingers, let alone butts) than to create (get involved, try to understand real issues and put some plans into action).. 

This highlight real opportunity for whoever, @aplusk  included if he/she can really affect influence and change the world for the better (via whatever platforms) or just influence how you spend/preserve your resources. 

good luck to us all!

BR

@GarethWong 

RT @GarethWong Must Watch Bril.! @rorysutherland @ICACanada Next revolution will b psychological not technological http://bit.ly/10g19Ag SlidesPls!

The next revolution will be psychological not technological - YouTube:

nothing I can add to the Brilliant lecture by Rory, culminating in many hours of talks given by him, this is probably one of the best, we just need the slides & links to the videos he refers to to make it more complete for those that have not seen the videos..

Cultural clout, interesting view indeed...

Cultural clout:

"Arena Media's Justin Gibbons unveils a new study from Work Research and Bournemouth University, Cultural clout – the role of culture in consumer decision-making, at Shift 2013.

Cultural clout: The role of culture in consumer decision making from Newsworks

see how Tai Chi Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang do not move with 20ppl pushing him, 陳氏太極拳 - 陳小旺 VS 亞洲大力士 - 龍武 - YouTube

陳氏太極拳 - 陳小旺 VS 亞洲大力士 - 龍武 - YouTube:

Chen Tai Chi vs guy that can push a 25 tonnes articulated lorry, can he push master Chen and move him outside of a circle over 3minutes!??

Grandmaster Chen (70years old dring filming) can already stop 20 people pushing him though, fascinated popcorn/dramatic documentary on an almost unbelievable martial art with thousands of years history!