IB Economics B

An article from the economics section of The Economist on free trade. It focuses on America's lost decade and the role of liberalization of trade in it.

Small and medium enterprises are very important to the international economy , and economists are always looking for more businesses of this size. Smaller businesses are important to maintain a variety of choices for consumers worldwide. This article delves into this aspect of international trade.

This article deals with a US trade watchdog that will investigate a claim by Taiwanese phone firm HTC that Apple has infringed its patents.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) celebrate the policies taken by the American congress which will help them compete in new markets and will create employment thanks to the bennefits from this expansion.

The Obama administration wants to complete free trade agreements with south korea, columbia and panama. They hope to create more jobs that were initially lost by foreign competition. The trade agreements will reduce the price of American products and therefore will increase the sales of these american goods. Obama said: "These agreements will support tens of thousands of jobs across the country for workers making products stamped with three proud words: Made in America,"

China is intervening in currency markets to make its own currency cheaper, which allows for chinese goods to be less expensive then in the USA. The U.S. Senate is seeking an official investigation into this and if it concludes that China is keeping its currency artificially low then retaliatory tariffs will be set in place.

This article discusses international trade between the US and China. This article talks about differences in currency value between the two countries and how the US is trying to solve these currency imbalances in order to lower unemployment in the US.

This is a demonstration of how to use Diigo.

This article talks about how foreign markets are threatened by the possible creation of a transaction tax for international trade among EU-countries and non-EU-countries, what would incentive the local commerce in europe and favor a protectionist policy in all Europe.

This article discusses a problem that can arise from international trade. The US is upset because China, among other countries, has been exporting vast numbers of solar panels to the United States. This has crippled the US' solar panel industry causing companies to ask Obama to formalize a complaint.

This article allows a brief overview of investment in Japan from a UK perspective and highlights some of the advice available from UKTI and JETRO. A UK Trade and Industry (UKTI) sponsored seminar, Doing Business in Japan, scheduled for October 2011 is a reminder that post Tsunami Japan remains a key UK business market.

This article discuses how the increase in VAT indirect taxes, past year in Spain, by the government led to a generalized inflation that stroke the market quite heavily.

North Carolina is seeking to aid citizens so that tax returns are easier for them and income tax is not a "guessing game". Making tax returns simpler for citizens in North Carolina will aid the government by having to send out less and smaller returns because the citizens will be able to predict the amount of income tax that they have to pay more accurately.

This article describes Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz's anticipation of the talk of transfer payments as a part of the agenda at the Council of Atlantic Premiers meeting Sunday in Sussex, N.B. CBC. It will be necessary for Ottowa to make transfer payments to the atlantic provinces to balance economic activity and keep health care costs low for the government.

This article deals with an increase in prices over the Scottish energy bill and repair.

This article is about the process that the government is going through to ban State income taxes. It is apparent that most everyone does not want to be taxed on their income but rather on their expenditures.

This article is interesting since it discusses the problem with deciding on who pays higher taxes. The tax described here is a progressive tax but it is hard to decide at which income to increase the income tax.

China is planning to raise income tax on the very rich. By changing the minimum income at which the bracket begins from $450 to $315 a month. Even though a nation that has a great disparity between rich and poor the the tax system will have not as large an effect as say in america. This is because only a small amount of chinese file income tax forms at all so the overall lessening of government income willl not take such a direct hit.

This article discusses how China's personal tax rate is too high and will be lowered in order to create incentives for work. Good example of supply-side policies.