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OAKLAND, CA--(Marketwire -03/27/12)- More than 50 winners of the 2011 Digital/Social Awards for Excellence in Online Communications were summarized today in the Bulldog Digital Social Awards Hall of Fame magazine.

Winners were chosen exclusively by working journalists from hundreds of entries representing the very best strategic and tactical prowess that PR/corporate communications has to offer. Campaigns were judged by a team of working journalists, who assessed them on the basis of their ability to achieve extraordinary visibility and influence opinion, as well as on their creativity, command of media and technology, and tenacity.

This year's Grand Prize Best Use of Digital/Social for a Digital/Social Communications Campaign of the Year was awarded to Denison University, which also won Gold Digital/Social awards for Best Online Newsroom of the Year, Best Use of Digital/Social for Higher Education and a Silver award for Best Microsite or Specialized Website.

Bulldog Reporter publishes the Daily 'Dog online trade journal, the PR/communication industry's largest circulation publication, and is the industry's premier provider of professional development events and materials.

Here is a complete list of the 2011 Bulldog Digital/Social PR Awards Winners:

Best Use of Digital/Social for a Digital/Social Communications Campaign of the YearGrand Prize Awarded to Denison University For TheDEN

Best Use of Digital/Social in an Arts/Culture/Entertainment Campaign GoldAwarded to Activate Sports & Entertainment and New Jersey Devils for 'Mission Control'

SilverAwarded to Euro RSCG Worldwide PR For KmartGamer

BronzeAwarded to Rogers & Cowan For Avon Voices

Best Use of Digital in a B2B Technology Campaign GoldAwarded to LEWIS PR For Digital Drives Thought Leadership

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The Hall of Fame Online Magazine Showcasing the Winners of the 2011 Bulldog Digital/Social Awards for Excellence in ...

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.

See more here:
Health-care freedom can be costly

By Mike Nester For The Prairie Advocate News

The Eastland School board voted last week to drop their appeal process of the countys re-assessment of Freedom Township.

The school district had protested the property tax assessment in a non-quadrennial year and felt property values in Freedom Township should have only been decreased by eight percent, instead of nearly 20 percent.

Eastland Supt. Mark Hanson said during the appeal process that If the appeal was not successful, district revenues will be reduced by approximately $275,000 above and beyond what is already being lost as a result of declining EAV and reductions in state funding.

The issue arose late last year when the county received the Illinois Dept. of Revenues (IDR) sales ratio study, which revealed a 58.48, instead of the required 33.3 for Freedom Township due to property values falling.

On Dec. 7, 2011, County Assessor Annette Gruhn held a teleconference call with IDR employees, Carroll County States Attorney Scott Brinkmeier and Eastland Attorney Tim Zollinger.

In late December the revised assessments were published in The Prairie Advocate News and individual notices were sent to tax payers. Gruhn also sent the abstracts to the IDR.

Gruhn then received a ruling from the IDR on Jan. 19 citing her office was in their legal authority based on Illinois state statue (ILCS 200 9/80).

On January 25, the state certified the median levels for Carroll County, 33.53 for county-wide and 33.91 for Freedom Township.

Two days later, the Eastland School Board filed a protest and appealed the taxes on the Freedom Township property.

Read more from the original source:
Eastland Drops Appeal of Freedom Twp. Re-assessment

By Elizabeth Behrman, Times Staff Writer Elizabeth BehrmanTampa Bay Times In Print: Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tax season is upon us, not exactly the happiest time of year. If it helps, maybe just a little, many of you will only have to work a couple of more weeks before you hit Tax Freedom Day. That's right, the average Floridian worked until April 11 last year to pay off all federal, state and local taxes. The rest of the year was money in their pocket, at least according to the Tax Foundation. Florida was the 16th state to celebrate tax freedom last year. Mississippi was first (March 26) and Connecticut was last (May 2). How does Florida compare in some other tax measures?

42 Florida's rank on the list for state tax collections with $1,680 per capita. Alaska was highest with $6,395, and South Carolina lowest with $1,475. (2010 data)

5th Florida's rank on the list of most favorable tax climates for business in 2012. Wyoming was most favorable, New Jersey least favorable.

35 cents

Florida's tax on gasoline per gallon, 10th highest. New York was highest, with 49 cents per gallon, and Alaska the lowest with 8 cents.

48 cents

Florida's tax on beer per gallon, eighth highest. Wyoming was the lowest at 2 cents, and Alaska the highest at $1.05 (as of Sept. 1).

16.57 %

Florida's state and local cellphone tax rate, fourth highest. Nebraska was the highest at 18.64 percent, and Oregon the lowest at 1.81 percent (as of July 1, 2010).

Link:
How Florida's taxes compare to other states