So many scams

Fake Green Deal sales 

You answer your door to be told you are entitled to £10,000 of funding for Green Deal home 

improvements, such as insulation or a new boiler. 



You are then asked to pay an administration fee.

Unnecessary damp proofing 



You are offered a free damp proofing survey. 



The surveyor always finds damp which needs urgent attention, quotes a high price and 

requests an immediate deposit.

Home maintenance services 



A trader offers you a cheap quote to pave your patio or driveway, carry out home maintenance 

or gardening services, or repair "unsafe" roof tiles. 



They demand an upfront cash payment to start or finish the job – then scarper with the money or 

make unreasonable charges for botched work.

Food sales 



Someone offers to sell you (inedible) fresh or frozen fish very cheaply, but only if you are 

prepared to pay £100s for several boxes, sight unseen.

Fake energy-saving gadgets 



You are offered a plug-in gadget at a "sale price" of £99, which the seller claims will cut your 

electricity use by 40%.

'Too good to be true' scams

Fake dates 



You join a dating website and are contacted by an extremely good looking potential date who 

lives abroad. 



After starting an online romance the scammer asks for money for emergency bills.

Council tax refunds 



You are told by a cold-caller that you are owed a rebate on your council tax bill or are 

overpaying because your property is in the wrong tax band. 



You are then asked to hand over your bank or credit card details so your money can be 

refunded.

Council tax discount 



You are told that if you start paying by direct debit you will get a discount – 

but first you need to pay an administration fee.

Dodgy job website 



You register your CV at a job site and quickly get a call or email from an employment agency 

guaranteeing you a job, but only if you first pay a fee.

Bogus pay cheque 



You are called or sent an email from someone who wants to give you a j and offered a cheque 

in advance of your first payday. 



Cash the cheque and you'll be told you've been overpaid and must return the money via an 

online transfer – before the cheque bounces.

Training course claim 



You see an advert online for a high salaried job, but are asked to pay for a training course first.

Prize scam

 
You are called, texted or emailed and congratulated for winning a prize or even a huge lottery 

pot (although you can't remember buying a ticket). 



In order to collect your winnings you are asked to pay a processing fee or to call a premium rate 

phone line.

Bad investments 



You are cold-called and offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest your life savings, for 

example in carbon credits, plots of land, fine wine or exclusive stocks and shares, which are 

certain to make you rich. 



Needless to say they are not.

Loan arrangers 



You are called or texted by a fraudster and invited to apply for a "guaranteed loan". 



After you've given your personal information, including your bank details, you are told to pay an 

application fee.

Pension problems 


You receive an "urgent" phone call from "The Pensions Helpline" or your pension provider 

stating that you are entitled to a £1,000 pension bonus from the government, or that your 

pension has been underpaid. 



In order to receive your money you must pay a fee or give out your personal details on a 

premium rate line

.

PPI refunds 



You are texted or called by someone claiming to be your bank, the Ministry of Justice, or a PPI 

company and told you are owed money in the form of mis-sold PPI payments –

but you must pay an administration fee before the refund can be processed.



Tax back 



You receive an email from HMRC offering you a huge tax refund if you give your personal 

details online or by email.

Unhealthy sales 



You see an online advert for a free trial of slimming tablets or skin products. 



However, you unwittingly sign up for regular monthly payments which cannot be cancelled.

Noise rebatement 


You are called by someone claiming to be from the government and told you may be entitled to 

compensation because a place where you once worked has been condemned as too noisy on 

health grounds. 



You are asked to pay a fee to find out more.

Scams which prey on your fears

Missed payment 



You are sent a fake council tax bill or told you are in arrears, and asked to pay immediately over 

the phone.

Telephone debt 



You are called by "Her Majesty's Court" and told you have defaulted on a debt for an expensive 

telephone preference service. 



You are asked for immediate payment over the phone and warned you will be disconnected 

and face arrest or a court summons if you refuse to pay.


If you hang up, the fraudster will stay on the line so you'll think your line has been disconnected.

Truant's fee 



The "Education Welfare Service" calls to tell you that your child failed to attend school that day 

and asks you for a £340 penalty over the phone.

Courier scams 



You are called on your landline by your bank and told that fraudsters have used your debit or 

credit card and it needs to be replaced. 



You call your bank, which confirms this. 



You are told to key in your pin number and hand over your card to a courier who will arrive soon. 



However, between receiving the call and dialling your bank you didn't hear a dial tone and are 

actually still speaking to the scammers, who never disconnected the line.

Holiday help 



You are sent an email from a friend or relative whose account has been hacked. 



You are told they are stranded abroad and need you to send them money urgently. 



They are not, and do not require any money.

Virus hoax 



You are called by "Microsoft Windows Support" and told your PC has a virus or is running 

slowly. 



The problem can be solved remotely if you give them your credit card details and/or remote 

access to your PC.

Medical emergency 



You are called and told your grandchild has been in a road accident abroad. 



Cries for help are screamed down the phone while the caller says you need to send money 

immediately to cover medical costs.

Rogue traders 



A police officer calls claiming criminals are trying to steal money from your bank account, and 

that a special "safe account" has been set up for you to transfer your savings into. 



You are told that clerks at your bank are under surveillance and that revealing why you are 

transferring the money will jeopardise covert police work.

So it goes on

A new report looks at 10 U.S. corporations that have used an array of tax loopholes and corporate subsidies to slash their tax bills: Bank of America, Citigroup, ExxonMobil, FedEx, General Electric, Honeywell, Merck, Microsoft, Pfizer, and Verizon.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 10 CORPORATE TAX DODGERS

Bank of America
Had $17.2 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. 
Reported it would owe $4.3 billion in U.S. taxes if profits are brought home.

Citigroup
Had $42.6 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. 
Reported it would owe $11.5 billion in U.S. taxes if profits are brought home.

ExxonMobil
Paid just a 15% federal income tax rate from 2010-2012, 
less than half the official 35% corporate tax rate – 
a tax subsidy of $6.2 billion. 
Had $43 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes.

FedEx
Made $5.7 billion from 2010-2012 and didn’t pay a dime in federal income taxes.
Got a tax subsidy of $2.1 billion. 
Received $10.3 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.

General Electric
Made $88 billion from 2002-2012 and paid just 2.4% in taxes for a tax subsidy of $29 billion. 
Paid no taxes in 4 years. 
Had $108 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. 
Received $21.8 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.

Honeywell
Made $5 billion from 2009-2012 and paid just $50 million in federal income taxes – 
a tax subsidy of $1.7 billion. 
Had $11.6 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. 
Received $16.7 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.

Merck
Made $13.6 billion and paid $2.5 billion in federal income taxes from 2009-2012. 
Paid an 18.4% federal income tax rate, half the official 35% rate – 
a tax subsidy of $2.2 billion. 
Had $53.4 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes. 
Received $8.7 billion in federal contracts from 2006-2012.

Microsoft
Saved $4.5 billion in federal income taxes from 2009-2011 by transferring profits to a subsidiary
 in the tax haven of Puerto Rico. 
Had $60.8 billion in profits stashed offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. taxes; 
Reported it would owe $19.4 billion if profits are brought home.

Pfizer 
Received $2.2 billion in federal tax refunds from 2010-2012 
while earning $43 billion worldwide even though 40% of its sales are in America. 
Had $73 billion in profits offshore in 2012 on which it paid no U.S. income taxes. 
Received $3.4 billion in federal contracts from 2010-2012.

Verizon
Made $19.3 billion in U.S. pretax profits from 2008-2012 
but paid no federal income taxes during the period; 
instead got $535 million in tax rebates. 
Total tax subsidy: $7.3 billion. 
Received up to $6 billion in federal contracts from 2011 through 2023.

CORPORATE TAX DODGERS AND THEIR FAVORITE LOOPHOLES

As the budget battles in Washington continue, 
corporations have stepped into the fray with some of
the most aggressive lobbying we’ve seen in years – 
calling for cuts to corporate tax rates, 
a widening of offshore tax loopholes that already cost the U.S. Treasury $90 billion a year, 
and cuts to government services and benefits, including Social Security and Medicare.

In making their case, corporate executives decry the U.S.’s 35% corporate tax rate 
claiming it is the highest in the world and makes their businesses uncompetitive globally. 

The evidence suggests otherwise.

Corporate profits are at a 60-year high, 
while corporate taxes are near a 60-year low [See Figure]. 
U.S. stock markets are at record levels, 
and American CEOs are paid far more than executives 
who run firms of similar size in other nations. 
Many U.S. corporations pay a higher tax rate to foreign governments than they do here at home.

America’s 35% tax rate is the highest among industrialized nations, 
but very few companies pay anything like those rates. 
Total corporate federal taxes paid fell to 12.1% of U.S. profits in 2011, 
according to the Congressional Budget Office. 
The average profitable company in the Fortune 500 paid just 18.5% of its 
profits in federal income taxes between 2008 and 2010, 
according to Citizens for Tax Justice, a nonpartisan tax research organization. 
Dozens of large and profitable companies paid nothing in recent years.

CEOs who are the face of various corporate pro-austerity, 
anti-tax campaigns with names like Fix the Debt, 
The LIFT America Coalition, 
The RATE Coalition and even the long-standing Business Roundtable,
 preach a theory that cutting corporate taxes is “pro-growth.” 
But they neglect to say that the growth is of their corporate bottom lines, 
not the economy and certainly not social well-being.

Though many of these austerity crusaders have corporate retirement plans that will 
provide tens- and even hundreds of thousands of dollars PER MONTH in their retirement, 
these CEOs shamelessly argue for cutting monthly Social Security benefits 
and raising the retirement age to 70 – 
which automatically reduces seniors’ retirement benefits by 20%.

It wasn’t always this way. 
There was a time, not so long ago, when America’s largest businesses 
did not question the need for taxes to pay for investments in education, 
infrastructure and basic research that benefited businesses and citizens alike. 

It was from these investments that things like computers, 
the Internet and life-saving drugs and medical technology emerged in life-changing ways.

In 1952, under Republican President Dwight D Eisenhower, 
corporate income taxes were nearly 
a third of the federal government’s receipts 
but had declined to less than 10% by 2012. 

This is due to a corporate tax code riddled with loopholes, 
perks and preferences won by corporate lobbyists 
and backed by millions of dollars of campaign gifts to Members of Congress.

This report looks at 10 U.S. corporations that have used an array of tax loopholes 
and corporate subsidies to slash their tax bills. 

Here are a few of the loopholes and subsidies:

The offshore tax loophole. 

This gaping loophole costs the U.S. Treasury $90 billion a year by letting 
corporations ship profits and jobs overseas. 
It was originally established to encourage U.S. multinational corporations 
to expand their businesses into other countries; 

for instance, to encourage car manufacturers to build plants and sell cars in 
Germany or England. 
If profits from those sales were reinvested in new and better plants overseas, 
that money would not be subject to U.S. income taxes. 

But starting a couple of decades ago, corporate tax attorneys and 
accountants found ways to stretch this concept and 
set up ways for companies to register intellectual property, 
such as patents or trademarks, in low-tax nations, called tax havens.

When a product is sold in America, a chunk of the purchase price is sent to the tax haven 
to pay for use of the patent, and these funds escape U.S. taxes. 
One of the companies profiled in this report is Microsoft, 
which sends 47 cents of every U.S. sales dollar to Puerto Rico to pay for patents on 
discoveries largely made in the United States. 
Pfizer has turned these tax-avoiding paper transactions into an art form – 
it sells 40% of its drugs here but hasn’t reported any U.S. profits in five years. 
Merck and Citigroup also benefit from offshore tax loopholes.

The excessive CEO pay tax dodge. 
This loophole was created in 1993 when Congress passed legislation 
seeking to cap the deductibility of executive compensation to no more 
than $1 million per year per executive. 
Companies could continue to pay whatever they wanted, 
taxpayers just wouldn’t be subsidizing more than the first $1 million per executive. 
As the bill moved through Congress, a loophole was inserted that exempted 
all pay considered to be “performance based.” 
Rather than reining in pay, the effect of the law with the loophole intact 
was an explosion of stock-based compensation. 
This loophole costs the U.S. Treasury $8 billion a year. 
Honeywell is one of the company’s profiled that has used this loophole to save on its taxes.

The corporate malfeasance tax dodge. 
When you get a parking ticket or a speeding ticket, 
come tax day you are out of luck because such fines are not tax deductible. 
But if you are a corporation, the costs of corporate crimes and abuse 
are most often tax deductible, in effect forcing other taxpayers to subsidize 
their abusive behavior. 
When Bank of America paid to settle claims that its foreclosure 
practices violated the rights of customers who lost their homes 
or when ExxonMobil paid $1.1 billion to settle claims for the 
Exxon Valdez oil spill, their tax deductions of these costs 
meant the rest of us picked up some of the tab for their harmful practices.

The paying business to do what it would do anyway tax subsidy. 
Several companies profiled were able to sharply cut their taxes by taking 
advantage of special tax write-offs associated with the 2009 stimulus bill. 
Corporations have long been allowed to deduct a portion of the cost 
of their property and equipment over the life of the asset. 
But the 2009 law allowed companies to immediately write-off 50% of the value 
of the equipment in the year the purchase was made, 
regardless of how long the equipment was expected to last. 
While the intent of the legislation was to get businesses to spend more 
to stimulate the economy, in reality most companies got enormous 
tax breaks for doing what they were going to do anyway. 
FedEx and Verizon are big beneficiaries of this subsidy as they 
buy aircraft and build cell phone towers.

Bank Bailout, round 2. America’s taxpayers spent more than $2 trillion to bailout 
America’s financial institutions during the recent banking crisis. 
But the terms of the bailout did not address whether the financial 
institutions involved could use the losses incurred during the crisis 
to reduce their taxes for years to come, 
in effect, giving them a second bailout. 
Bank of America used its losses as a get-out-of-taxes free card. 
Many other banks and financial institutions did the same.

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY

There are two bills in Congress that would close some of these loopholes 
and ensure that some companies pay their fair share of taxes.

The Cut Unjustified Tax Loopholes Act (S. 268, introduced by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI))
would close offshore loopholes by establishing command and 
control provisions that would treat foreign subsidiaries controlled from America 
as U.S businesses for tax purposes. 

It would also end some of the deductions corporations presently 
enjoy from stock-option based pay of corporate executives, 
and close some of the oil and gas subsidies in the tax code.

The Corporate Tax Dodging Prevention Act (S. 250, introduced by Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) 
and H.R. 694, introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)) 
would end the current practice of deferral that allows companies 
to avoid taxes on offshore profits, both those earned offshore and those 
shifted there through accounting gimmicks. 
This bill would tax the global profits of U.S. corporations and 
provide for a 100% foreign tax credit for any taxes paid to 
foreign governments. 
It would raise $590 billion over ten years according to the Congressional Joint 
Committee on Taxation.

There is widespread and growing public opinion among the 
American public and the small business community that corporate 
tax loopholes need to be closed so we have the money to invest in a more promising future. 

This support is seen across the political spectrum. 

Corporate tax dodging is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue, 

it is an American issue. 

The American people are saying it is long past time that corporations step up 
and pay their fair share to fix the debt and assure that our country 
has sufficient public investment to create opportunities for all to succeed 
in their life, their liberty and the pursuit of happiness for them and their families.

Authors: Scott Klinger, Sarah Anderson, Javier Rojo, Institute for Policy Studies

One little ray of hope

A bumblebee species that had become extinct in Britain will get a second chance on today when a new generation of queens is released in the south-east of England.

In rare piece of good news for the blighted insects.

Which have suffered a 32 per cent decline across all UK species.

Experts spent two weeks collecting short-haired bumblebees from farmland in southern Sweden, where numbers are rising. 

Today they will be reintroduced to an RSPB reserve at Dungeness in Kent.

The project began last year with a pilot re-introduction following four years of work with farmers to create the ideal wildflower habitat across Romney Marsh and Dungeness.

Conservationists hope all of the UK’s bumblebees may soon benefit from similar projects. 

Of the 25 native species, seven are declining and two are extinct.

The last reported sighting of the short-haired bumblebee was in 1988. 

Britain has also lost 97 per cent of its wild flower meadows over the past 70 years due to increasing urbanisation and agricultural intensification.

Asparagus

It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione 

Which is considered one of the body's most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.

Some people believe it to be helpful in protecting them from cancer.

So here is how to use it for those who might be interested

For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using. 

Fresh or canned asparagus can be used. 

After corresponding with the two leading caners of asparagus, Giant and Stokely, it seems that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives. 

Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree. 

Store in the refrigerator. 

Give the patient 4 full tablespoons twice daily, morning and evening. 

Patients usually show some improvement in 2-4 weeks. 

It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. 

This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.

What cures can prevent is an old adage.

Based on this theory one could try using asparagus puree as a beverage with meals. 

Take 2 tablespoons diluted in water to suit taste with breakfast and with dinner. 

Take it hot or cold. 

Make it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of regular checkups. 

After making an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. 

Many are convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theories about cancer.

Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth. 

For that reason, asparagus can be said to contain a substance that could be called cell growth
normalizer. 

That accounts for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. 

In any event,regardless of theory, asparagus used as suggested above, is a harmless substance. 

The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good. 

Just a side note.

In case you are wondering why this has not been made public, there is no profit in curing cancer!

Kenyan bees

Researchers say they have unlocked the genetic secrets of honey bees' high sensitivity to environmental change.

Bees. Specifically African bees are probably not the first, or even fifth idea, that comes to mind when you think of alleviating poverty.

Yet these little insects are causing a buzz by helping thousands of rural farmers in East Africa.

For the past twelve years, Kenyan social business Honey Care Africa has developed its innovative ‘Business in a Beehive’ model that has allowed low-income farmers to easily earn more money by producing honey.

The package gives farmers everything they need to start producing honey- a beehive, equipment, training, hive maintenance, and – most importantly of all - a contract for a guaranteed cash purchase of the resulting honey at fair market prices.

A simple beehive requires just 1 sq m (10 sq ft) of land and two to three hours of labor per month.

With minimal effort, farmers can earn extra cash from producing honey.

That makes it an attractive investment for small rural farmers who often subsist on income from a single crop.

With no monthly paycheck, inconsistent harvests make predictable income difficult.

The honey, on the other hand, is a relatively stable and easy source of cash that farmers can depend on.

“We’ve created a modern supply chain connecting poor rural households in east Africa to global markets for honey,” says Madison Ayer, Honey Care Africa’s CEO.

The idea comes at a convenient time.

Global demand for honey constantly exceeds supply, and with bee colonies mysteriously disappearing in the US and Europe, pure honey is becoming a valuable – and expensive - commodity.

The price of honey in the US is rising more than 6% annually, and the market globally is expected to hit $12 billion by 2015.

The reason is that “there’s a certain magic to honey,” Ayers claims.

“It’s the only food that insects produce that humans eat regularly, it’s packed with healthy micro-nutrients, and for thousands of years honey has been used for its medicinal value.”   

Aside from being a healthy and natural sweetener, honey is an antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal.

Yet the production of honey is a very slow, decentralized process.

It’s impossible to artificially produce or mass manufacture pure honey.

You need honeybees, space, wild flowers and ample time to for the bees to pollinate and produce it.

Sweet bonus

In East Africa there are plenty of honeybees ready to meet the growing demand.

But, until now,  challenges of infrastructure, knowledge and capital have left many locals to consider beekeeping a ‘cottage industry,’ and not a commercial business.

“One of the biggest challenges of honey production in Kenya is the fragmented value chain,” says Fred Ogana of TechnoServe, an international NGO that invests in business solutions to poverty, and recently completed an in-depth study of Kenya’s honey industry.

While many rural farmers keep bees, the traditional method of collecting honey results in low quality honey and low harvesting yields.

“Smallholder farmers typically produce honey in traditional logs, and when harvest day comes they pack it in old fruit juice bottles, and hawk it on the road sides” says Ogana.

Honey Care tries to make this process more efficient and predictable.

Its package costs around $50 for two hives, and it has partnered with micro lending institutions like Kiva.org and local microfinance banks to help farmers get loans to purchase the package.

Farmers can earn on average 15,000 Kenyan Shillings ($175) per year from two hives, making their return on investment substantial.

The organization has even found a way to help those people who are afraid of bees, but like the idea of a sweet income, by hiring fulltime beekeepers within villages to manage individual farmers hives.

 As an added bonus, pollination from the bees actually helps improve crop yields 15-30%, further adding to income.

In Kenya, this little extra cash goes a long way. 

Families are able to pay for school fees, medical bills, increase their land and invest in more livestock - or hives.

Shelf life

Although bee-keeping is a traditional – and relatively low-tech business – the organization is beginning to bring it into the 21st Century.

Its latest innovation is its Swarm Database smartphone app, which allows a fleet of beekeeping technicians who inspects hives across the country to enter troves of live data on farmers, hives, honey and harvesting into Samsung smartphones.

This information feeds into a central dashboard, which helps the company track production and improves the efficiency of their honey supply.

Alerts encourage regular hive inspection, whilst analytics automatically highlight opportunities and trends.

The app also allows global consumers to connect more with Kenyan beekeepers, says CEO Ayer.

For example, imagine picking up a jar of Honey Care Africa honey off the shelves of your local supermarket, scanning a QR code on the jar, and seeing the family, trees and hives that produced, along with harvest date all on your screen.

“It’s a great way to visualize traceability,” remarks Ayer.

“Honey is so easily adulterated, consumers want to keep an eye on it,” he says. 

“We have our eyes on honey from the bees to the shelf.”

By your own efforts alone

Be patient, kindly and wise, for perhaps in the next moment of life, the light will shine out upon thy companion, and you discover that you are but a blind man, claiming to see. 

Remember this, that you own not one thing in this world. 

Your wife is but a gift, your children are but loaned to you. 

All else you possess is given to you only while you use it wisely. 

Your body is not yours, for Nature claims it as her property. 

Do you not think, Oh Man, that it is the height of arrogance for you to sit in judgment upon any other created thing, while you, a beggar, are going about in a borrowed robe?

If misery, want and sorrow are thy portion for a time, be happy that it is not death. 

If it is death be happy there is no more of life.

You would have wealth, and tell of the good you would do with it. 

Truly will you lose your way under these conditions. 

It is quite probable, that you are as rich as you ever will be, therefore, desire to do good with what you have -- and do it. 

If you have nothing, know that it is best and wisest for you. 

Just so surely as you murmur and complain just so surely will you find that "from him that hath not, shall be taken even that which he hath." 

This sounds contradictory, but in reality is in most harmonious agreement. 

Work in life and the Occult are similar; all is the result of your own effort and will. 

You are not rash enough to believe that you will be lifted up into Heaven like the Prophet of old -- but you really hope some one will come along and give you a good shove toward it.

Know then, Disciples, that you only can lift yourselves by your own efforts. 

When this is done, you may have the knowledge that you will find many to accompany you on your heretofore lonely journey; but neither they nor your Teacher will be permitted to push or pull you one step onward.

WQJ