Ex-nun Karen Armstrong writes in her iconoclastic book "A History of God" that the rationale behind sacrifice of the first-born child in the ancient pagan world was the replenishment of the strength of the god believed to have begat it (begetting is what gods and men did in those days). In the intervening years mankind has made strides with the invention of the wheel,…
Chanson d’Amour
I don't think it is a coincidence that the French Government proposed a new Culture Tax in the same week as tonight's Eurovision Song Contest. The Europeans have made some pretty bad mistakes over the years such as two World Wars, the Euro and Belgium. On the other hand, like the Common Market and the Division…
Never judge a book by its e-ink screen
Amazon is hardly ever out of the tax headlines these days. Following on from management's mauling by a British Parliamentary Committee late last year and the developing Transfer Pricing dispute with the IRS, last week all eyes were on Amazon's reaction to the Senate's passing of the heat-seeking, this one has your name on it A-M-A-Z-O-N, Marketplace…
Reach for the sky
A story about a Dutch company that did the rounds of the world's press on April 23 got me checking whether the Netherlands, ever the laid back pot-smoker of Europe, celebrated April Fools' Day a few weeks late. In a grand press conference it was announced that candidates are invited to apply for a one-way ticket to…
Tax Break 