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Vanity tax

vanity.jpg

After the failed tax, politicians will be hoping to gloss over the incident

A proposed 'vanity tax' in the Philippines has been slapped down after an online campaign urged lawmakers: "#DontTaxMyBeauty".

The country's plan to tax the "multibillion-peso beauty industry" went down as well as a broken nail in a manicurists' parlour, with the beauty industry also railing against the plan. Politicians will be left red-faced (unless they use concealer) after the failed attempt, and feel the whole incident wasn't worth it. Unlike you, dear reader.

Tax Relief is relieved: a lot of shimmer goes into making these pages look so glossy.

It does not make much cents

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Staff counted the pennies by hand because the counting machines kept jamming

A man from Virginia in the United States has paid his tax bill, something most tax administrations are accustomed to dealing with. However, he used 300,000 pennies to do it. His sterling attempt to annoy the department was successful, with staff taking at least several hours to count the five wheelbarrows filled with coins that made up the $3,000 tax bill. The penny pincher told the BBC that he did it as a protest because he wanted government departments to "be more responsive to public inquires". Tax Relief thinks the man has likely put pay to any chance of making it through the next year audit free.

Quotes of the month

"Looks like it's on"

Peter Davidson, social and economic policy analyst, on the corporate tax 'race to the bottom.'

"Full customs union membership prevents us from negotiating our own comprehensive trade deals"

UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who suggested the UK may seek "associate membership" of the EU's customs union.

"Intaxication: [The] nice feeling you get when you receive your tax refund, until you realise it was your own money in the first place #TaxJoke"

US Tax Practice's founder Patrick Evans said via Twitter.
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