Obama Care Health Care Rules For Business - Insanely Complicated

This Obama Care Health Insurance law is a nightmare and the last thing this nation needs right now, especially at a time when we need more jobs. The latest news is that the Obama Administration is intimidating large corporate health care insurance companies from raising rates. They have to, or they will go out of business, then you and I the taxpayer will end up paying for the losses incurred in public funded health care insurance.

Meanwhile, health care costs continue to skyrocket outpacing inflation by 10:1 for the last decade and no chance of slowing. So, you'd like to have a health care insurance debate with me would you? Well, I wouldn't go there if I were you, you can't compete with facts, besides maybe I should let you in on a few things first.

Okay, I admit it, I am much smarter than you, and probably a minimum of 40 IQ points, and if you voted for Obama, could even be significantly more than that, seriously, I am not going to lie to you to make you feel better, and I am not issuing certificates for participating or reading this article. You darn well better read my articles if you want to improve the gap mentioned above.

You see, I have one of those minds that just works awesomely, but I can tell you I've been reading some of the trade journals I take for various industries, many have articles on this new Obama health care bill, and I am amazed how complicated it is will all the requirements, fines, and phase-ins for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Indeed, I am blown away, while reading all this four or five times to make any sense of it. It's a nightmare for small business.

And if the Obama Administration tries to tell us that small business likes this new law, because they really want to provide health care insurance for employees, and they applaud their efforts, well, that's just a load of smelly brown molasses looking material one might find in the aeration process at the POTW (publicly owned treatment works). Give me a break, no way will any small business person be happy about that.

In fact, it would make sense to fire as many employees as possible and hold off hiring anymore for as long as possible to avoid all that bureaucracy, as a small businessperson would need hire an accounting firm to administer just the employee health care insurance program, it is insanely complicated and utterly ridiculous, what a bunch of nonsense. This is what they produced?

No wonder Nancy Pelosi said;

Well, you'll just have to vote for it then, and see what's in the bill!"

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.WorldThinkTank.net. Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

Some Tax Rules For Wholesale Trade

Wholesale trade is an intermediate stage in the trade. The wholesale trader neither produces goods nor exercises retail trade. However, considering the form of product distribution to consumers, even a producer can be considered as a wholesaler for the goods he produces. Usually a wholesaler sells products to retailers, whereas distributors are included in the category of wholesalers and are likely to sell to retailers.

Importers of trade product ready for consumption exercise the activity by ensuring goods from abroad in order to meet special consumptions orders which tend towards rapid consumption. This rapid consumption can be explained by the very nature of the product, which is an authorized right (sale of Peugeot, BOSCH tools, Legea sports materials for the Albanian national soccer team etc.), or in the case of franchise (the right to use the trade mark/name, e.g. McDonald). In other words, they are wholesalers or intermediaries. Other business activities involve producers, retailers and commercial users, even private individuals who can import goods. However, a commercial importer exercises this as the main activity.

There are two main categories of import traders

- Buyers of raw materials for domestic sale in the industry section

- Buyers of commercial goods can be combined with purchase of domestic goods for re-sale purposes

Commercial import can also be run from a small office. Imported products are stored in a separate storehouse or often submitted to the client directly from the port, airport, or land border points. A commercial importer should keep sufficient data to know:

- What kind of products is stored?

- Which are the incoming and outgoing movements of product in the storehouse?

- What is the situation in the cash registry account, i.e. how much his clients owe him?

The general costs of this business are relatively low as compared to the value of traded goods. However, these costs include:

- Office administration and management cost;

- Storehouse maintenance (including insurances);

- Re-packaging and labeling cost;

Submission of a product to the client can be organized by the importer and even if this is added to the price, it represents a business cost. Although an importer can perform additional services such as re-packaging, labeling in Albanian language, etc., this does not change the fact that a commercial importer buys imported goods for re-sale in the domestic market, excluding transit goods or goods re-sold in other countries. Form a tax audit perspective, the only difference between the wholesaler and importer is the nature of purchase documents. Audit procedures are similar in all other respects.

Wholesale trade can be run and managed by a single individual, or by several individuals exercising their trade activity i question. They are mainly agents, although not formal agents, and not individuals which have contact with the goods in the market. Their circulation is the total of everything as is the case with every other wholesaler.

There are relations between purchases and sales, which, in the case of wholesale purchases or importers, have to do with the mark-up price on goods. The trader can refer to this as a threshold which helps him to draw the line between his profit and the sale price. Manuals (Difference between price and cost) deals with this phenomenon in more details.

During the interview, the auditor should know what trader's policy apples to common sale levels. Not having a very value, eggs or other large quantity products will have a smaller price increase than another product (car) which sells less. Delicate products will have a high inventory flow, whereas other goods (cars) will have a slower flow. That wholesaler would not keep a car in store for as long as a retailer would. The more we understand how various activities function, the easier it will be for us to detect the mistakes that have been made and the ways that are used for hiding them.

As mentioned above, sales will either be ordered in advance for certain clients to be re-sold at a previously agreed upon price or they will be casual, which means that goods will be purchased without any previously thought client, although it is very likely that the wholesaler or importer can have regular buyers. In such case, the goods are sold in the open and competing market at a better price than the one offered by the importer.

In the case of previously ordered sales there can be documents on the price agreed upon with the buyer, through contracts prepared between parties for various purposes.

When they do not have definite clients, although there can be data on the eventual sale price, this price should not be previously determined. Of course, it is possible for an importer or wholesaler to sell a certain shipment for a smaller profit margin in order to do away with the slowly flowing inventory, thus increasing their capital for further trade. Rarely, it can happen that, for the same reasons, a certain sale can even result in losses.

Nevertheless, continuous sales at small profit margins should be considered very carefully. There are two possibilities: a) the importer or wholesaler is a poor businessman (including his living standard) whose business is on the verge of bankruptcy; b) real sale prices are hidden and in such case we have to do with tax fraud.

Wholesalers use two different sale systems. E.g. a wholesaler selling through his people moving all around has different series for each of the sellers in order to be able to better identify each sale. The total of all sales is the total used for tax purposes.

A wholesaler of liquors, for example, can combine the shipment of his product to the wholesaler plus retailers who get their goods from the wholesaler's storehouses. Each directly employed seller can work on commission or a salary or a combination of both. It is important to exactly determine what happens, since it is possible to determine the sales level from the commissions that have been paid.

It is possible that sale price for retailers, in cases when the buyers themselves ship the goods, is lower than the price for goods when they are sipped to the retailer's premises by the wholesaler's staff. It is important to understand what the structure of the sale price is (analysis of components per unit).

In Albanian Customs taxes and VAT are paid according to a list of reference prices which is administratively considered to be closer to the real declared value. The first argument is that domestic market is protected form by free imports and the second argument is that, as regards VAT, the artificial price increase is avoided.

The bottom prices established for some goods are applied during imports and this is a means to make sure that import taxes, VAT, import excise, etc., be fixed to a competing level in order to protect the domestic market. After the goods have entered the country and start selling in the domestic market, VAT should be calculated and taxed on the quantity of goods that are actually sold.

While it is difficult to generalize, the profit rate should be sufficient to make sure that the majority of importers are able to pay VAT. Since VAT is refundable, this has no significant influence on the profit, except for a small increase of the tax obligation, which in account books is presented as a cost.

Purchases should be registered in the purchase register, possibly a separate diary for the cash account, which registers incoming and outgoing payments. Registrations of sales have to do with operational business costs and those for imported goods. These include invoices for utilities, rent, phone, fax, internet, paper, insurances for offices and storehouses, advertisements, personnel (if any), cleaning, transportation of goods, customs agents for importers, etc. The auditor should also take into account purchases on which no VAT is applied

The trader should register all purchases and sales, not only the VAT ones. It is easier for a trader to hide his sales if the purchases are not identified and evidenced. A check on the stock of purchase invoices can discover, for example, stock of invoices that have not been calculated through the invoice system.

The principal requirement is to issue an invoice for every sale and this should comply with the rules specified in the Minister's Instructions on VAT or Law. As with everyone else, wholesalers should keep sufficient data to meet the requirements of tax authorities on the accuracy of their accounts and declarations prepared for tax purposes.

The owner of a business also has personnel working for him and in certain aspects; his needs are similar to those of the tax authorities: he does not trust others to handle his business without first making some checks in order to make sure that losses from theft are minimum. The owners' requirements are almost similar even in terms of risk elements and for incomes this aspect is treated in more details.

Don't Accept Annuity Quotes That Violate State Insurance Rules

The authority of the insurance commissioner (or possibly another title) to regulate insurance business conducted within the individual states is contained in a title of state statutes usually known as the Insurance Code. There are usually corresponding rules also published to amplify the statutes. Insurance rules are often patterned after model language developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, but they vary widely. Look for rules similar to those used below to illustrate the types of abuses that are common.

Rule: An "advertisement" includes illustrations originated by the insurer, its insurance producers or third parties.

Rule: Advertisements must contain complete information and not omit material information to be misleading or deceiving purchasers as to the extent of any benefit payable or any premium payable.

Rule: The premium shall also be shown on the annuity contract itself, according to the form filed with the Insurance Department. The name of the annuity issuer shall be clearly identified in all advertisements.

Rule: The prospective annuitant must not be misled into believing that he or she will receive some benefit not available to other persons of equal life expectancy.

Settlement offers frequently include cash components to be paid at the time of settlement plus "periodic payments" that will be funded through the purchase of an annuity. Illustration ledgers or "advertisements" presented to show the future payments being offered, but omitting the name of the proposed annuity issuer and the amount of premium required (the cost of the annuity), violate state insurance rules. When this happens, the claimant may not learn the identity of the company that will make those payments, including its strength and performance ratings by independent analysts, until after the offer is accepted.

After the terms of the settlement are agreed to by the parties, including the future payments to be made based on representations made to the claimant of their cost, the defense structured settlement broker sometimes will "shop" among several annuity issuers. If the same benefits can be purchased for less premium dollars from another company, or if the company quoted during the settlement negotiations subsequently offers a better rate, the annuity is purchased for less than represented during the negotiations. The savings are then retained by the defendant or its liability insurer and not passed on to the claimant in the form of higher future benefits or a larger cash amount paid at the time of settlement.

Unknown to the prospective annuitant, the life insurance companies will assign a "rated age" based on the assumption that the "measuring life" (annuitant) has an impaired life expectancy due to his or her overall health history. Rated ages are assigned by life insurance company medical underwriters based on medical history submitted by the structured settlement broker, often in violation of privacy regulations under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The claimant has no idea that the lifetime benefits in the settlement proposal were based on a presumed shorter life expectancy and obtained at less cost than to provide identical payments to someone with a normal life expectancy.

If neither the claimant nor the claimant's attorney is shown the cost of the annuity, in writing, the defense's purpose very likely is to deceive the claimant into believing that the present value of the periodic payments is higher than it will actual cost.

Some life insurance companies that issue annuities designed and priced specifically for structured settlements issue computer software quoting systems to their agents that have options for a "plaintiff version," omitting the cost and often the name of the annuity issuer, and a "defendant version," which shows all relevant information. The use of the "plaintiff version" annuity illustration is a product of long-standing practice developed by liability insurers that serves no justifiable purpose and violates state insurance rules.

The plaintiff's counsel should require that all future payment proposals made as a part of a settlement offer, where an annuity will serve as the funding asset, identify the name of the annuity issuer, the name and business address of the producer or insurer's authorized representative (who must be licensed to sell annuities in the state), the premium required to produce the future payments illustrated, and the mortality risk assumption (whether a rated age is being considered). The illustration should also show the funding date assumption and the rate series in effect, including any daily rate, along with the quote's expiration date.

The annuity contract, which is usually issued several weeks after the settlement, should reflect the actual premium paid, as specified on the approved policy form declaration page, not simply "valuable consideration" or "paid in full." In this way, the attorney or the annuitant can compare the actual cost with the cost represented in the settlement offer. Any significant discrepancy should be dealt with immediately.

It is not enough simply for the defendant or insurer to fulfill its promise of making periodic payments, the defense must also spend what it said it would spend to provide those payments.

The plaintiff's attorney can also be held accountable if the client is victimized by the defense.

Your best defense against such tactics is to engage your own structured settlement specialist to advise on periodic payment costs before mediation, then insist that all settlement discussions be conducted in terms of a single cash lump sum. If agreement is reached as to an amount the defense will spend to settle, you can direct that amount to be paid into a qualified settlement fund and call on your own specialist with a duty of loyalty to your client to set up the periodic payments. All tax benefits of a structured settlement are preserved when a qualified settlement fund is used for receiving settlement proceeds.

To Read more articles on structured settlements or annuity payments please visit: [http://structuredpro.com]

The Numbers of Pesticides Are Decreasing Rapidly As New EU Rules on Pesticides Come Into Force

UK farmers are becoming increasingly alarmed at the lack of alternatives for protecting their crops as the deadlines approach for implementing the EU Plant Protection Products Regulations that became law on December 14, 2009.

Member States are required to set up National Action Plans to reduce the effects of pesticide use on health and the environment and to promote the use of alternative methods to reduce pressure from pests. These plans are required to include quantitative objectives, targets, measures and timetables, and provide indicators to monitor the use of plant protection products containing active substances of particular concern. The action plans have to be presented to the Commission by December 2012, and will be revised every five years.

In 2009 UK Parliamentary investigations concluded that some 50 active substances that may lose approval. Most of these are approved in the UK. It warned that the bans could lead to significant increases in diseases affecting wheat, oilseed, potatoes and beet.

Farmers warned in 2009 that the ban on the use of key pesticides in European farming was going too far too fast and the situation does not seem to have improved, with the added pressure of cuts expected to the UK farmers' subsidies under reform of Europe's Common Agricultural Policy at the same time as farmers are being asked to produce more and invest more in the future.

Member States have to adopt the Directive's measures and comply with the requirements by 14 December 2011. National Action Plans must be completed by 14 December 2012.The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) carried out a first consultation on the issue, which has now been published and in its summary concludes that the UK's long-standing and rigorous regulatory regime for plant protection products (i.e. agricultural pesticides) and other already existing legal and voluntary controls, means it is in a good position regarding many of the areas covered by the Directive. Recent years have seen a reduction in the range and availability of pesticides, with increasing demands from supermarkets and consumers for no residues in food.

In December 2010 the results of research carried out by Cranfield University study were published. It found that without the deployment of pesticides to control weeds, pests and diseases, crop yields would fall to half their current levels. It said food prices would rise by 40 per cent and that crop protection saves UK consumers £70 billion in annual food costs.

The commission's proposals, it estimated, could remove 5-10% of insecticides, 5-12% of herbicides and 7-35% of fungicides. A range was decided on because of some gray areas about how certain hazard criteria would ultimately be defined.

Using the UK parliament's exclusion criteria, however, it said 66% of UK insecticides would be de-registered, 35-49% of fungicides and 27-33% herbicides. Once the five-year period for approval of candidates for substitution runs out those figures jumped to 92%, 80% and 91%.

There are low-chem alternatives being devised by biopesticides developers but the problem is that the resulting biopesticides, biofungicides and yield enhancers are subject to the same registration processes as conventional pesticides. Developers must file a comprehensive dossier, documenting all risk and safety issues.

It is not a harmonised process. The dossier is evaluated by a 'rapporteur' Member State and then considered by all Member States, the European Food Safety Authority and the European Commission (EC). If the active ingredient meets the specific standards, it is approved and listed in Annex I of the Directive. Plant protection products containing an active ingredient listed in Annex I are then authorised at a national level as long as acceptable use is proven, taking into consideration formulation, climatic and agronomic factors.

It is a cumbersome and lengthy, as well as expensive, process and so far calls to harmonise and speed it all up seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Copyright (c) 2011 Alison Withers

As the deadlines for withdrawal of many current pesticides looms and farmers worry about the effects on their crop yields Ali Withers reports on the lengthy registration process involved in getting new biopesticides approved across the EU.

My Golden Rules Of Betting For National Hunt Horse Racing

How do you avoid doing your money when betting on National Hunt horse racing? By definition jumps racing brings with it additional risk every time your horse leaves the ground. Making a profit from punting over the sticks is treacherous enough without falling for the bookmakers' seductive bets which often leave the unwary punters pot-less.

So to help you swerve those rushes of blood to the head I have devised a set of National Hunt punting rules. Sticking to these rules may mean you miss a few winners throughout the season, and although you may not win a fortune by following them, they will probably stop you from losing one. We'll leave that to the less-savvy punters shall we?

If you have a passion for horse racing, then for pure exhilaration there can be nothing quite as spectacular as seeing thirty or forty horses thunder off across the Melling Road at the start of the Grand National. Or perhaps you marvel at the athletic prowess of the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup as they stretch clear of the field up the hill towards the finish line at Prestbury Park?

Traditionally the National Hunt jumps racing season would start around early November and carry on throughout the winter months. The climax of the season is still the Cheltenham Festival in March, with the Grand National in April at Aintree.

Today you will find national hunt meetings pretty much all year round, and although the summer meetings are thinner on the ground and lower key, there still exists the opportunity to profit from horses racing over obstacles.

Here are my Golden Rules for betting on National Hunt horse racing:

Rule #1

When the rains come in the deep mid-winter, and the going turns proper heavy, look out for horses who have already demonstrated form in these kind of conditions. In reality, not many horses actually enjoy galloping through mud. If you can uncover a horse which relishes testing ground - even if the price suggests they are something of an outsider, and with recent form figures reading like a row of duck eggs - you may well be sitting on a good value bet.

Rule #2

This rule is about horses who are taking a step up to race in a better class of race and at one of the more imposing tracks. Where you have a number of steeplechasers, who are already performing well in quality races at the top tracks, it is easy to over-estimate the chances of a 'live' outsider who jumps well and won last time out, albeit in a lower grade race at a provincial track. In these situations, it is often better to lump on the fancied horses along with everyone else. Admittedly this will often result in poor value prices at the top of the market, and the profitable move may well be to keep your money safe, and sit these races out.

Rule #3

As an addendum to the last Rule, this one is so simple, but none-the-less true. When you are trying to pick winners at Cheltenham, and especially at the festival in March, it pays dividends to give extra merit to those runners who have already shown winning form around this unique race-course. If a horse has managed to win here, they should be credited with a real chance to triumph again.

Rule #4

A long-standing myth that two-and-a-half-mile chasers possess the best characteristics to win the Grand National is utter rubbish. Why? Well, for starters the Grand National is staged over more than FOUR miles. Find a horse who can stay forever, and who jumps for fun, and you will have a horse capable of winning the greatest steeple-chase in the world.

Rule #5

Let's imagine you have narrowed down your selections in a jumps race to just two horses. One is piloted by a top-20 jumps jockey, and the other is ridden by a less-able jockey who gets to claim a weight allowance over his rivals. In this situation my advice would be to choose the professional every time. In Flat races, a weight advantage of a few pounds can make all the difference, and trainers will often make clever use of talented apprentice riders to gain a competitive edge. Over the sticks however, it will often pay to side with the proven skills of the experienced horseman, even if it means sacrificing a little weight to your rivals. After all, they are a winning jockey for a reason.

Rule #6

A horse who turns in a fine performance at a flat, easy or 'fast' track may not necessarily produce the same performance at a more testing race-course. To me this seems one of the most obvious statements when studying National Hunt form, but it is one that punters ignore time and again, getting their fingers burnt in the process. If a horse has jotted up an impressive sequence of wins at easy tracks such as Musselburgh, Fakenham, Hereford, Taunton, Southwell, and Aintree's Mildmay course, they should not necessarily be considered a 'steering job' when they contest a race at a course with a more testing profile. Of particular note should be courses with an uphill finish such as Cheltenham, Sandown Park, Hexham, Carlisle, and the daddy of finishes at Towcester.

Rule #7

There exists an old maxim which says "never bet odds-on in a novice chase". This rule needs modifying slightly. If such a short price is based solely upon a horse's hurdling form, then in the long-run you would be wise to steer clear. When a horse is tackling the bigger obstacles in public for the first time, it is not the time to lump on with all your 'hard-earned' without the prospect of at least doubling your money. However, if the horse has already shown some decent ability over fences (boasting a win or perhaps finishing close up in a previous novice chase) then its chances of winning as an odds-on shot are probably no better or worse than in any other kind of race.

Rule #8

One of the biggest betting minefields in jumps racing is when top-flight horses are on the comeback trail after injury. This is precisely when to treat horses with caution, but all too often punters will jump right in and throw this caution, and their money, to the wind. It is very difficult for a trainer to bring a top horse back into a high-grade contest at the same level of form as before the horse suffered an injury. Yet just because a horse is seen once again on a race-track, many punters will expect to see this kind of form repeated first time out. Bookmakers will take advantage of this high-expectation and keep prices short - based purely upon the animal's reputation and historic form. But the low prices are not a true reflection of the horse's actual chance of winning on the day. In these instances it may well be more prudent to watch and learn, to gauge the horse's level of fitness. Alternatively, the shrewd punter will take advantage of punters plunging on the false favourite, and seek value in one of the other runners.

Rule #9

During the course of the jumps season there are several two mile handicap hurdles with bountiful pots of prize money. Finding the winner in these races is incredibly difficult, as they tend to be over-subscribed and doggedly competitive down to the money and prestige on offer. Similar to the big-field summer handicaps on the Flat, it seems horses often land these races in turn. Consequently, the cautious punter will reduce his stakes on these races to a minimum. A more fruitful avenue to take would be to concentrate upon the longer handicap hurdle races run over three miles plus. These stamina-sapping contests are more likely to be won by distance specialists who have already proved they can stay the longer trip. Winning stayers have a habit of cropping up in these distance handicaps time and again.

Rule #10

Finally, the clue is in the name, and this sport of kings is called jumps racing. If you can spot the true equine athletes who bend their back and jump seemingly for fun, tackling obstacles with relish, then you will unearth a plentiful seam of winners over time. Equally, beware of the self-styled 'experts' who declare "he may not be a fluent hurdler now, but he is shaping to be a fine chaser in the future". In reality, the chances are he will be just as poor, if not worse, over the larger, less forgiving fences.

I hope that by following some or all of these rules, you can begin to think a little more outside the box, distance yourself from the madding crowd, and take some money back off those bookies during the otherwise gloomy winter months.

Author: Max Redd http://www.reddracing.co.uk

Max Redd has been making a living betting on horse racing for over 10 years. He runs the Redd Racing betting advisory service which offers members a FREE trial and a 60-day money-back profit guarantee. Find out more at http://www.reddracing.co.uk

Yorkshire Dales National Park Warns Off-Road Users To 'Know The Rules'

Following the introduction of new legislation and in light of growing concern over the amount of damage incurred, North Yorkshire Police are joining rangers from the Yorkshire Dales National Park in an effort to stamp down on owners of off-road vehicles who use them in an irresponsible manner within the Park boundaries.

In a series of joint action days the police and rangers will be ensuring that off-roaders are aware of recent legislation changes, checking that their vehicles are legal and coming down hard on anyone breaking the law. They will be monitoring activities on public footpaths, bridleways and byways within the National Park boundaries ensuring that those using them for recreational 4 x 4 activities are doing so within the law.

As well as a new leaflet produced by the National Park, ranger Matt Neale points out: "There is plenty of information available explaining what is legally required of off-road users and exactly where they can go to pursue their recreational activities." He believes there is no excuse for off-road users to ignore the guidelines, or the law, and added: "The leaflets we've recently produced can be picked up from some petrol stations and cafes in the National Park area, or can be found on the Park's website."

Neale also points out the potential damage that can be done to the environment by off-roaders, he said: "Even a small numbers of off-road vehicles in the wrong place can have a serious effect on the tranquillity of and sensitive habitats of the area - the very qualities that draw many people to the National in the first place."

Neale is also concerned about the physical damage that can be done to the area; especially during the winter months when a driver will notice very little wear and tear on his 4 x 4 wheels or his vehicle, but the area in which he is driving can be excessively damaged. But it's not just damage from 4 x 4 tyres that causes concern, bikers are in the firing line too, and because they have the potential to be driven down smaller bridleways and footpaths, also offer most risk to other users of the National Park. Ranger Neale is determined that excessive noise and damage to the Park will be reduced by this joint operation with the police and advises that off-road users stopped by the police who do not have the necessary licenses for their vehicle will also be subject to prosecution.

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance author from Scotland. He is a keen rugby player and enjoys travelling.