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Government Policy and Law

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Supreme Court upholds franchise fee ruling

Supreme Court upholds franchise fee ruling By Kent Darr Des Moines residents are entitled to a refund that could top $40 million for excess fees they paid on utility bills between 2004 and 2009, the…
By KENT DARR | Mar 2, 2012
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Sales taxes for flood control

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that the policy board and staff of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance on Thursday announced their support for a 10-year extension of the city’s existing 1 percent local-option sales …
By BPC Staff | Mar 2, 2012
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Consumers lose $1.5 billion to identity theft, online scams

Consumers lose $1.5 billion to identity theft, online scams   Identity theft and other scams cost Americans $1.52 billion last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said yesterday.   Based on a nationwide sampling of…
By BPC Staff | Feb 29, 2012
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Age-bias claim against University of Iowa must be tried in the state, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ruled that a former North Dakota attorney general and chief legal officer for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines must pursue his allegations of age discrimination …
By BPC Staff | Feb 28, 2012
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Postal Service jobs on the line

The U.S. Postal Service announced on Thursday new plans to consolidate or close 223 mail processing plants, putting 35,000 jobs at stake starting in late May or June, CNNMoney reported.

The move would save $2.1 …
By BPC Staff | Feb 24, 2012
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Corporate tax plan would cut top rate to 28 percent

Corporate tax plan would cut top rate to 28 percent   The Obama administration today will propose cutting the top tax rate for corporations to 28 percent, to be paid for by eliminating dozens of…
By BPC Staff | Feb 22, 2012
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Consumer watchdog to examine bank overdraft fees

Consumer watchdog to examine bank overdraft fees   The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is taking a hard look at the overdraft fees charged by banks, The Hill reported. The agency announced today that it…
By BPC Staff | Feb 22, 2012
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SEC works on model for adopting international bookkeeping rules

A senior U.S. regulator was “optimistic” today about finding a framework for the world’s top economy to use global bookkeeping rules for investors to compare cross-border companies, Reuters reported.

“We are hopeful we can put …
By BPC Staff | Feb 20, 2012
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Consumer price index comes to India

The Indian government will begin releasing a consumer price index (CPI) Tuesday to accompany data on wholesale prices, the Deccan Herald newspaper reported. India’s CPI will track price movements in food, beverages and tobacco, fuel, …
By BPC Staff | Feb 20, 2012
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Trade deficit slows Japan’s recovery from earthquake and tsunami

Japan posted a record trade deficit in January as the yen’s strength and weaker global demand eroded manufacturers’ profits and slowed the nation’s recovery from last year’s earthquake and tsunami, Bloomberg reported.

The trade gap …
By BPC Staff | Feb 20, 2012