All posts tagged: scrap

Trump says France must scrap tech ‘sales tax’ or face 100% wine tariffs: NY Post

Trump says France must scrap tech ‘sales tax’ or face 100% wine tariffs: NY Post

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump has warned France must scrap a 3% tech “sales tax” or face 100% tariffs on U.S. imports of its wines and champagne, the NY Post reported Monday. The president issued the threat ahead of this week’s G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France. “I asked [President Emmanuel Macron] not to charge American companies, and if they do, I have no choice but to charge a 100% tariff on all champagnes and all wines coming out of France,” Trump told the Post. The digital services tax, approved by French lawmakers in 2019, involves a 3% levy on gross revenues generated in France by large technology companies, including U.S. giants such as Amazon, Meta and Alphabet. Exports to the U.S. make up about one-fifth of the French wine industry’s total global sales, at about $2 billion annually. It is not the first time the Trump administration has targeted France’s wine industry with retaliatory measures. In 2019, the U.S. raised the possibility of imposing hefty charges on tech imports, including wine, in response to the then-new levy, which …

40% of enterprises will scrap AI agents – 3 ways to ensure yours don’t fail

40% of enterprises will scrap AI agents – 3 ways to ensure yours don’t fail

Published by skeptic

Visoot Uthairam/ Moment via Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Moving AI agents into production can be a tough ask. Smart professionals focus on governance and frameworks. They work with experts and ensure clear outcomes are set. There’s a lot of hype about the potential of AI agents, but less evidence that the tools are producing a return on investment. Tech analyst Gartner recently predicted that 40% of enterprises will demote or decommission autonomous AI agents by 2027 due to governance gaps that are only identified after incidents occur when these agents are in production. Also: AI is causing cognitive fatigue. Here’s how to work with more haste and less speed At the recent Snowflake Summit in San Francisco, three digital leaders explained how their organizations put agents into production. They shared three lessons for other professionals looking to exploit AI: use frameworks, exploit experts, and monetize data. 1. Focus on frameworks Matt Luizzi, VP of analytics at wearable technology specialist Whoop, said his organization collects biometric data …

Farage: I will scrap income tax on overtime

Farage: I will scrap income tax on overtime

Published by Sam Flores

Nigel Farage has pledged to axe income tax on overtime as he vows to “make work pay”. If Reform UK wins the next general election, people who earn less than £75,000 and work overtime above a 40-hour week will pay no income tax on the extra hours. The £5bn a year tax cut announcement, made during the crucial Makerfield by-election campaign, will be seen as a direct challenge to Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Mr Burnham hopes to oust Sir Keir Starmer if he wins the seat. It appears to be inspired by Donald Trump’s move to scrap tax on tips and is an attempt to make it harder for Labour to define itself as the party of working people. On Saturday, Survation released the constituency voting intention for Makerfield – with Labour leading on 43 per cent, edging Reform on 40 per cent, Restore Britain on 7 per cent, the Lib Dems on 4 per cent, the Green Party on 3 per cent and the Conservatives on 2 per cent. Writing for …

DWP told to scrap benefit claimed by 1.4 million people entirely

DWP told to scrap benefit claimed by 1.4 million people entirely

Published by Sam Flores

The Department for Work and Pensions has been told to scrap a benefit claimed by 1.4 million people. The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) think tank has urged the DWP to scrap pension credit and remove the state retirement age. Under the TBI’s Lifespan Fund, there would be no official retirement age. People could instead choose when to take their pension, which would remain guaranteed for life and be provided by the state. The amount they receive would vary based on their contributions, age, health and life expectancy, similar to the way pension savers are offered an annuity. READ MORE Foreign Office issues warning for UK tourists who face ‘increased risk’ But the triple lock would be removed and pensions would only rise by the median level of earnings. Tom McPhail, a freelance pensions expert and scheme trustee, said: “These proposals are a good start and a flexible state pension that helps meet people’s needs before retirement, and encourages later working, is a good idea in principle. “However, we can’t think about the state pension in …

Brussels should scrap plans to hire 2,500 EU civil servants, 9 countries say – POLITICO

Brussels should scrap plans to hire 2,500 EU civil servants, 9 countries say – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Our joint message is clear: The Commission needs to hear the sign of the times,” said German Minister of State Günther Krichbaum. “When we talk about improving competitiveness, cutting red tape and scaling down national administrations, the Commission’s call to further increase staff numbers is simply out of touch with reality. It would be best for the Commission to retract this proposal.” The letter, signed by ministers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, reads: “We expect the Commission to present ambitious, quantified proposals as a direct input for ongoing negotiations on the next MFF, including on an EU administrative system that reflects the challenges of our times.” “In this context, the proposed increase [from the Commission] of 2,500 posts as well as the overall significant increase of heading 4 (administration) runs counter to the stated objectives of efficiency, restraint and reform, and risks undermining the credibility of the broader MFF proposal.” Heading 4 of the 2028-2034 MFF refers to administrative costs. EU countries are in the midst …

Porsche may scrap its EV sports car, but this luxury brand won’t

Porsche may scrap its EV sports car, but this luxury brand won’t

Published by skeptic

Although Porsche is considering scrapping the 718 Boxster and Cayman EVs, Audi’s CEO told employees that the electric TT successor is still on track. Audi says its EV sports car is still on track Following the Taycan, Macan Electric, and Cayenne Electric, Porsche was planning to introduce the 718 Boxster and Cayman EVs as early as this year. That may no longer be the case. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Porsche’s new CEO, Michael Leiters, may cancel the EV sports cars altogether, citing sources familiar with the matter. The source said higher expenses and development were to blame. Following the report, speculation arose that sister brand Audi’s upcoming electric TT successor, which will share batteries, drivetrains, and other components with the 718 EVs, was also on the chopping block. Advertisement – scroll for more content Audi’s CEO, Gernot Döllner, told employees in an internal letter (via Autocar) that “The delivery of the platform by Porsche is not in question.” The letter, first reported by the German newspaper Donaukurier, added that the partnership is “proceeding …

US to scrap legal cornerstone of climate regulations this week

US to scrap legal cornerstone of climate regulations this week

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is set this week to scrap a landmark scientific finding that greenhouse gases jeopardise public health by driving climate change – the bedrock of US regulations to curb planet-warming pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last summer proposed reversing the so-called “endangerment finding” of 2009, in the administration’s latest boost to the fossil fuel industry. “On Thursday, President Trump will be joined by (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalise the rescission of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a news briefing Tuesday. “This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history, and it will save the American people US$1.3 trillion in crushing regulation.” The finding under then-President Barack Obama concluded that six greenhouse gases – including carbon dioxide and methane – endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change. That determination flowed from a 2007 Supreme Court decision, Massachusetts v EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to determine whether they pose …

Bungling Robert Jenrick And Suella Braverman Accidentally Vote To Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap

Bungling Robert Jenrick And Suella Braverman Accidentally Vote To Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap

Published by Sam Flores

Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick when they were in Boris Johnson’s cabinet. NurPhoto via NurPhoto via Getty Images Reform UK MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap – even though their party is now in favour of keeping it. The bungling pair accidentally walked into the wrong voting lobbies in the House of Commons on Tuesday night. The five other Reform MPs who took part voted against scrapping it, in keeping with what is now their party’s policy. One Labour MP said the mix-up showed they “couldn’t run a bath, let alone a country”. Reform UK sources initially tried to claim that it was a “genuine mistake” by Braverman and Jenrick – who both defected from the Tories last month – and that their votes had not been registered. However, official Commons records show that the pair did vote along with Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, DUP and Plaid Cymru to scrap the cap. The motion to end the cap, which was introduced by the last Tory government …

Bill to scrap bishop’s vote in Manx parliament set to become law

Bill to scrap bishop’s vote in Manx parliament set to become law

Published by Sam Flores

The Isle of Man’s upper chamber has passed a bill today to end its bishop’s voting powers, in what the National Secular Society has hailed as a “landmark constitutional moment”. The Church of England bishop of Sodor and Man sits and votes by right in the Legislative Council (LegCo), the upper chamber of Tynwald, the Isle of Man’s parliament. The Isle of Man Constitution Bill 2023, introduced by House of Keys (Tynwald’s lower chamber) member Lawrie Hooper, does not remove the bishop’s ex officio seat but removes the voting powers. Hooper said unelected appointments to positions of “power and authority” were contrary to the “concept of what a democracy should be”. LegCo voted unanimously for the bill to pass its final stage. However, it was amended to specify the bishop’s vote will continue until the incumbent bishop Tricia Hillas’ (pictured) term ends, or five years after the bill receives royal assent and becomes law, whichever comes first. The amendment originally required the bishop’s vote to end three years after royal assent, but was increased to …