Bandit Gang Writ Large

Paradise Papers hang-out reveals income tax industry’s countermeasures

"The world’s biggest businesses, heads of state and global figures in politics, entertainment and sport who have sheltered their wealth in secretive tax havens are being revealed this week in a major new investigation into Britain’s offshore empires. The material, which has come from two offshore service providers and the company registries of 19 tax havens, was obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with partners including the Guardian, the BBC and the New York Times."

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High taxes on legal pot in California could mean black market will thrive

"State and local taxes on marijuana could surpass 45% in some parts of California, jeopardizing efforts to bring all growers and sellers into a state-licensed market in January, according to the global credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings. The report said that increased enforcement may blunt the illegal market, 'but high taxes may complicate such efforts by diverting in-state sales to the black market.'"

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IRS Still Stealing Cash From Immigrant Business Owners

"After the gas station went under, and Kwon’s wife died amid the stress of it all, after he moved from his neighborhood in shame and the Internal Revenue Service changed its policy so no other small business would get steamrolled this way — the agency won’t give Kwon his money back. That’s $59,117.47 the IRS is holding on to. As recently as August — the last time Kwon, now 73, asked for his money back — the IRS said no. He’s heartbroken that the country he loves is treating him this way."

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Assange offers €20K reward for finding killers of Malta’s ‘one-woman WikiLeaks’

"The 53 year old ran the hugely popular ‘Running Commentary’ blog which led Malta’s Panama Papers investigation and highlighted several other corruption scandals in the Mediterranean island nation. The blog's most recent revelations took aim at Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and two of his closest aides."

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Let’s Make America Free Again: We’re Walking a Dangerous Road

"We can pretend that the Constitution is still our governing document. However, the reality we must come to terms with is that in the America we live in today, the government does whatever it wants, freedom be damned. Here is what it means to live under the Constitution today."

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New York cops’ massive salaries are robbing taxpayers blind

"Local cops in towns and counties around New York state are robbing taxpayers blind with astronomical yearly salaries — including one officer who pulled down $442,000, a new report shows. Tom Donnelly, who retired as a Ramapo school safety officer in August, earned the investment-banker-sized paycheck over a 12-month period ending in March — making him the highest paid local cop anywhere outside New York City, according to a report from the Empire Center. The study showed that local cops like Donnelly are the highest-paid group of government employes in municipalities excluding the five boroughs."

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