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16.22 Chancellor George Osborne has been invited to put his pasty where his mouth is and see how a pasty tax would work in a branch of Greggs. The chief executive of the bakers, Kennedy McMeikan, has offered Mr Osborne the chance to see why the tax would be difficult to enforce.

16.17 The chief executive of the West Cornwall Pasty Company, Gavin Williams, has spoken out about the pasty tax. He said:

We thank him for his glowing endorsement of our quality product and for helping to spread the news that a West Cornwall Pasty Company pasty is the best around.

However, what we really need from Mr Cameron right now is not advertising but clarity and leadership.

We would have hoped that if he had been rubbing shoulders with our customers he'd better understand the impact that this move will have on them, and our sector and all the great suppliers within it.

This is not about the West Cornwall Pasty Company but about the Cornish pasty industry as a whole and as the country's biggest specialist retailer we need to stand up for everyone within it.

16.11 He may be unsure of exactly where he bought his last pasty but David Cameron was certainly filmed eating one in May 2010 in footage from ITV News.

David Cameron tucks into a pasty during his final weekend of campaigningin Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

15.49 Why should the Chancellor stop at taxing pasties? asks Jenny McCartney.

Take chips, for example, and not just the ones that so many of Georges critics seem to have indelibly embedded on their shoulders.

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Pasty tax: as it happened March 28

The sweeping new IRS licensing scheme endangers the livelihood of an estimated 350,000 tax preparers and harms the nearly 100 million taxpayers who rely on paid tax preparers. That's why the Institute for Justice recently filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of three independent tax preparers, challenging regulations that require preparers to get the IRS' permission before they can work.

By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

The IRS claims this is for consumer protection, pointing to error rates on tax returns. But the tax code is so complex that, according to a government study, even IRS employees answer tax questions correctly and completely less than half the time. To reduce errors, perhaps we ought to simplify the tax code, not create more red tape.

The real effect of this licensing scheme is to raise prices.

Compliance will be expensive for preparers, and those costs will be passed on to taxpayers. Further, these regulations will force many preparers out of business. That's precisely the purpose of licensing schemes: reduce competition, drive up prices.

About Editorials/Debate

Opinions expressed in USA TODAY's editorials are decided by its Editorial Board, a demographically and ideologically diverse group that is separate from USA TODAY's news staff.

Most editorials are accompanied by an opposing view a unique USA TODAY feature that allows readers to reach conclusions based on both sides of an argument rather than just the Editorial Board's point of view.

So who do these regulations really protect? Investment bank UBS found that the regulations help H&R Block by creating "barriers to entry" for "small preparers." That's why major tax prep firms supported the regulations; they can absorb compliance costs that drive smaller competitors out of business.

Despite these serious drawbacks, the IRS offers no evidence that the licensing scheme will be any more effective than a voluntary certification program, which would allow taxpayers freedom to choose. Some taxpayers might prefer a certified preparer, while others might favor a friend, relative or preparer they have used for years.

Excerpt from:
Opposing view: Overturn IRS license scheme

TORONTO, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -

FEATURES

The Business of Journalism Tax tips for freelancers Tax time can be dizzying for journalists: What can be deducted? What is a legitimate expense? If you're self-employed, how do you manage numerous revenue sources?Miles Kenyonhelps to make sense of all of this, with advice from journalists and an accountant. Link to article

Law Does freedom of the press come at a higher price for student journalists? A visit from the bailiff indicating you face a potential lawsuit for something your story linked to: Not exactly the best day in a student press newsroom. Emma Godmere, national bureau chief of Canadian University Press, explains what happened when she recently faced this situation and how lopsided legal battles such as a student newspaper vs. university bureaucracy can stifle freedom of the press. Link to article

The Business of Journalism Aggregation, real reporters and local ads: CBC tests online-only news in Hamilton The CBC Hamilton news service is a first for the public broadcaster: A stand-alone website with no radio station and no television outlet. Arik Ligeti reports on why CBC decided to try this now, and looks at what it will add to the local media market, which has already seen at least one online-only outlet fold. Link to article

Town Hall The racial and cultural implications of rapping the Elements of Style Last year's adaptation of the Elements of Style wasn't the first time young, white, educated males have parodied hip hop, and it surely won't be the last. But Chris Richardson, a media studies PhD candidate at Western University, says that lost in the chuckles and grammatical debates is a discussion of what it means for journalism students to parody a popular style of music closely associated with African-American culture. Link to article

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Now on J-Source: Tax tips for freelancers; Linking liability; CBC goes online-only in Hamilton

The Irish Times - Wednesday, March 28, 2012

CARL O'BRIEN, Chief Reporter

THE REVENUE Commissioners raised serious concerns over the fairness of aspects of Government tax breaks aimed at luring multinational executives to Ireland before they were signed into law earlier this year.

The tax incentive contained in the recent budget provided an exemption from income tax on 30 per cent of a salary of between 75,000 and 500,000 for employees assigned to work here for up to five years.

In addition, expenses paid to employees for private school fees of up to 5,000, along with travel and trips home, are exempt from taxable income.

A Department of Finance briefing document prepared earlier this year noted concern from the Revenue, pointing out that it had been established policy not to provide tax breaks for private education.

The Revenue has raised serious concerns as to how such a provision would be perceived among the wider taxpaying population, particularly against the background of cutbacks in education spending, the document states.

Department of Finance officials however countered that the perks should be allowed as an additional incentive for employees to take up positions in the Irish-based operations of their employer.

Officials also decided the tax break should not be classified as a tax relief, as this would bring it under restrictions for high earners introduced in recent years. These restrictions ensure that people earning above 125,000 pay a minimum tax rate of 30 per cent.

The introduction of the tax break known as the Special Assignee Relief Programme followed lobbying from a number of companies such as Citibank, consultants KPMG, PwC and Deloitte, along with industry groups such as the American Chamber of Commerce, the IFSCs Tax Strategy Group and the Irish Funds Industry Association.

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Revenue concerns over fairness of foreign executives' tax break

With the U.S. Supreme Court debating Obamacare, talk of freedom has been ringing in the land.

In a related story, this freedom of ours sure is getting expensive.

Unnoticed as the debate rages over the mandate in the health-care reform, this state just passed a grim milestone. The amount of "charity care" delivered at state hospitals reached, for the first time, the $1 billion mark.

The state hospital association reported last month that for 2011, the total medical bills not collected because people were judged too poor to pay was $1.1 billion in Washington. Five years ago, the figure was only half that.

Another $895 million went uncollected in 2011 due to "bad debts" which is when patients don't pay their bills but are considered capable of doing so.

Combined, the two figures mean local hospitals now face $2 billion in unpaid bills every year. And rising fast.

The eye-watering price of free health care has exploded for predictable reasons. More people with no insurance plus cuts to government health programs equals more patients who can't pay showing up in emergency rooms.

Tuesday's Supreme Court argument was all about this problem.

At one point, the lawyers labeled the people coming to the emergency rooms as "free riders." They use health care when they get sick, but haven't insured themselves against that possibility. Either because they can't afford to, or choose not to.

I was briefly a free rider when I was young and stupid (I know, that's redundant). I didn't have much money and figured I wouldn't need to go to the doctor, so I took the risk. Nothing happened, so it all worked out in my case.

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Health-care freedom can be costly