Free Republic

French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar say they are ready to discuss the contentious issue of taxing internet giants after a meeting in Paris. Macron is leading the tax charge in Europe, saying it’s not fair that internet companies don’t pay taxes where they make most of their money. Countries that serve as tax shelters for companies like Apple, including Ireland, have resisted the proposed measure. …

The European Union on Tuesday said US tech giant Apple must repay a record 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion or roughly Rs. 95,910 crores) in back taxes after ruling that a series of Irish sweetheart tax deals were illegal. "The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid," a Commission statement said. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple's "selective treatment" in Ireland...

The number of jobs in manufacturing has declined by 7,231,000—or 37 percent—since employment in manufacturing peaked in the United States in 1979, according to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The real median household income of Americans who have completed high school—but have not attained a higher degree—also peaked in the 1970s and has declined since then. In fact, according to the Census Bureau (Tables H-13 and H-14), the real median household income of an American householder who has completed four years of high school peaked in 1973 at $56,395 in constant 2013 dollars. By 2013, it was...

(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama says Democrats "don't want to tax all businesses out of business." "I know that there are a few Republicans here in the audience," Obama said Friday at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign in Palo Alto, Ca. "If you talk to us, it turns out we're pretty common-sense folks. "We don't think government can do everything," he said. "We don't think that top-down solutions are the right way to go. We believe in the free market. We believe in a light touch when it comes to regulations."

(Hartford-AP, July 11, 2002 7:19 PM) _ The hotly contested race for the Fifth Congressional District got even hotter today with a flap over campaign contributions. Democratic Congressman James Maloney criticized Congresswoman Nancy Johnson, a Republican, for accepting a $2,000 campaign contribution from an executive of The Stanley Works. Both Johnson and Maloney strongly oppose the company's plans to reincorporate in Bermuda. Maloney said Johnson accepted the money from Stanley's chief financial officer, the person responsible for the reincorporation plans. Johnson's campaign shot back with accusations of their own, claiming Maloney has a scandalous record when it comes to campaign...