Are Bitcoins Leaving a Hole in the Economic System?

Until today, even with the recognition of many economics experts and authorities regarding Bitcoin’s benefits for the entire cyberworld and the actual world, some people are still accusing the world’s widest-recognized digital currency as leaving a hole in the economic system. But on a serious note, does it really affect the current financial system greatly?

In every country, a law prevents people from using another form of currency except for the nationally-recognized and government-issued ones. This law is meant to protect people from inflation caused by the lesser-known money. If the lesser-known currency picks up pace, it would damage the financial system and the national mints will have to print more to stop inflation.

By law, bitcoins are illegal, but for the most part, the laws in every country does not protect the individual, but its lifeblood, the industries.

Today’s laws protect established companies from being met with unfair competition and certainly, if bitcoin became part of a country’s circulation, it will definitely bring down existing banks and financial companies. With nobody paying for bank services, a shortage of jobs, closure and industry shutdown could happen.

Are bitcoins leaving a hole in the economic system? You bet, but it is not all that bad.

Several Energy Firms Using Law Loophole on Tax Bills

Cutting tax bills is the work of most accountants and a great budgeting skill for businesses, but exploiting a legal loophole to cut tax bills is improper and irresponsible. According to a research by a local newspaper, 30 UK energy companies have exploited a particular legal loophole to cut bills.

According to The Independent and watchdog Corporate Watch, the 30 UK energy firms have made use of a “quoted Eurobond exemption” which allowed them to accept high interest loans using the Channel Islands Stock Exchange, which proves to be very controversial.

The Independent said that the company racked up huge interest payments to their parent companies, reduced the bottom line of these payments and cut their tax bills. The interest payments were international, allowing them to issue it through the Channel Islands and exit the United Kingdom tax free.

This allows them to avoid the 20% withholding tax. Many companies, including a gas company had avoided £72.5m in taxes. Other firms saved tens of millions of pounds, according to the newspaper.

According to Opposition Leader Ed Miliband, the govenrment’s failure to take down loopholes in the legal sector is costing the UK citizens more than they could chew. Miliband said that he was working with the OECD to address the problems and will consider changing the rules on the treatment of cross-border transactions.

Trivial No Win No Fee Compensation Claims’ Effects in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s compensation culture probably takes a turn for the worse as UK educational institutions and schools are pulling out their playgrounds and cutting down trees because they cannot pay huge compensation for minor injuries and grazes students get inside school grounds.

One might consider that getting cut and bruised while playing in school is not a reason to get compensation. But because the rules say that the school is responsible for the well-being and safety of its students, parents just make a compensation claim as a form of tuition fee reduction motive.

Let’s put money as a metric for power. People invest power in educational institutions to allow their children to learn how to generate power for themselves. When people gain huge power just because of minor injuries, it can be considered quite trivial.

Trivial compensation claims not only from schools, but also from UK citizens in an accident, create a huge backlash in the insurance industry and government spending. People think that there is always someone to blame for an accident that happened which was their own fault.

Then comes in the no win no fee claims solicitors. These fellows are good guys indeed; they allow people to get compensated for their injuries at a lower cost. However, some of them encourage the abuse of the system, developing a culture that derives on making a claim against a very small form of hassle.

It is advised that you only go to no win no fee claims solicitors to consult about your injuries and how to claim compensation for them, but to avert the large compensation culture that is gnawing at the very core of the UK institution and value system, avoid exploiting the system for your own personal gain.

Countries that Ban Public Display of Affection

In more western and western-influenced countries, public displays of affection are normal especially if they’re only discreet. In some countries, public displays of affection could be quite opulent and the law or society does not condone such actions. However, in some countries, this is banned. Here is a list of countries that outlaw couples expressing their love for each other.

1.    China

In china, there’s a three-foot minimum distance between a man and a woman. While same sexes could walk together more than three feet from each other, men and women must observe these rules. PDAs are definitely restricted and men and women could not hold hands or even put their arms around each other in public.

2.     India

India does not allow physical contact between men and women, including kissing and hugging. PDA is actually a criminal offence in India, which is included in their penal code and could have you fined, imprisoned for three months or even both.

3.    Indonesia

Anybody who commits PDA in Indonesia could actually get fined for 250 million Rupiah or $29,000 or imprisoned for 5 years. Traditionally, Indonesia is a muslim-dominated country and dominated by tradition, culture is part of law.

4.    Middle East

In the countries in the Middle East, public displays of affection are considered obscene and penalties could be complete capital punishment or long jail sentences. Travellers are not excluded from these laws.

How to Register a Legitimate Business in the United Kingdom

Registering a business or company in the United Kingdom is not as complicated as many think. Business proprietors have several responsibilities they need to fulfil to avoid possible problems with authorities in the future. I've been through this process once and I find it effective.

1.    Registering your Business

You could manually register your business with the HMRC and other regulating bodies or you could have a registering company do this for you. Some businesses even offer online alternatives to registering the name and industry of your business. You’ll need a registered office address, director details and shareholder details (if any).

2.    Business Proper

All companies must have at least one director or registered proprietor who will also serve as the sole shareholder. The business must also have a registered business bank account that includes a certificate of incorporation, confirmation of shareholdings at incorporation and proof of ID for company officers. IDs needed are usually legal ones, even recent utility bills.

3.     Trading Entity

The registered business name will also reflect the kind of trading entity the business is. Trading entities are commonly classified as Sole Traders, Partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships or PLCs. The company name must avoid vulgarity and should reflect the intended trade that the trading entity extension implies.

4.    Shareholding

For every co-founder, a share is given. You could create a share for every co-founder in the company. Here is a better guide for handling company shareholding.

Information About the Consumer Credit Act

As a consumer, you have the right to obtain financing fairly in a competitive environment. The CCA regulates your credit card purchases and provides protection to you as a consumer when you enter a financing or hiring agreement. Here is a condensed version of the CCA.

1.    Coverage

CCA 1974 regulates your credit and protects your content and form of credit agreements, method of calculating annual percentage rate (APR) for lenders, the procedures during cases of defaulting, termination or early settlement and extra protection on items paid through credit cards. The law also regulates credit advertising.

2.    Consumer Rights

Creditors have the right to assess your creditworthiness before you are given the right to obtain credit using substantial information from you and a credit monitoring company. Before you make an agreement, the credit company must first know you recognize the nature and parties involved in the agreement, your key financial information including your credit limit, APR, total amount payable, timings of repayments and the agreement’s duration.

3.    Right to Withdraw

If you want to cancel a credit agreement, you could do so but only after a 14 day cooling-off period. During this period, you are responsible for paying the amount borrowed and the interest accumulated up to the point date of your cancellation. The 14 day cool-off period is appointed from the day the agreement is concluded with approval from both parties.

Calculating Your Total PPI Claim Compensation

A very heavy concern for most customers prospecting to make a PPI claim is if it’s worth the effort to reclaim £3000 from a successful PPI claim. In all honesty, £3000 is a very high sum and is something you could use as downpayment for repairs in your home or buying a new car. In addition, some PPI claims can reach amounts higher because of certain complexities. Read on to know how to calculate them.

PPI is an insurance policy that you didn’t ask to buy because you know you didn’t need it, but if you were forced and you gave in, you’ve earned your refunds today. If the insurance policy causes any additional problems, you get compensated for those as well. Insurance damages only count as financial hassles; for example, if your loan interest fees increased because of the insurance, you get the added interest fees you paid for in the last few months or years even.

A PPI claims expert could only resolve some complex cases, according to PPIClaimsCo but it does not mean that customers couldn’t resolve such cases. These complex cases include intertwined insurance policies, your PPI being an add-on to an existing mortgage payment or car liability insurance. It would be difficult to untangle these alone, but they merit higher refunds for customers.

Most claims management companies have claims calculators that helps you determine the total amount of compensation you could get from a successful PPI claim. The PPIClaimsCo website actually offers an avenue for claims calculation.

Handling Out of Court Cases Effectively

If you previously had a car, work or any type of accident involving property or personal injury losses and you want to save time, you could settle cases out of court against your offender. As the victim of the incident, you could call to have your complaint against the offender settled with an out of court agreement to avoid high court hearing and legal consultation costs. 

First, you’ll need to assess the damages done to you. In a personal injury case, a medical professional can estimate your physical injuries including pain and suffering. In a car accident, you save time having a qualified repair shop make the estimates on your vehicle. These estimates help you get the ammunition you need when you face off against your offender.

Second, have a legal representative help you make a letter of complaint against your offender and give them an option to settle out of court paying the total amount of compensation you’ll need based on the information from your medical certificate for your injuries or the total repair costs from the qualified repair shop.

Be sure to highlight the fact that your offender can save time and money on legalities if they can agree to settle the dispute amount. Your legal representative can also press other charges against your offender, so it is best you also indicate this in the letter. Have the letter notarized.

Inform the right authorities about the out of court settlement of your case to clear your police report and close the file.

Some of the Worst Court Decisions in History

One might think the legal system in most western countries is perfect, but in reality, they are not. Big cases that spurned public sensationalism were met with great expert criticism because of the worse calls in court history. Here is a list of them.

1.     Tina Bennis Vs. The State of Michigan

In this case, Tina Bennis and her husband owned a vehicle where Tina’s husband employed the services of a prostitute. The government captured the vehicle as a public nuisance and the court ruled that the government could take Tina Bennis’ property without due process or appeal, even if she didn’t know her husband used her property in such a way.

2.     Home Building and Loan vs. Blaisdell

The Court created the Emergency Exceptions Doctrine that the government could interfere in private contracts because of the severe effects of the Great Economic Depression in the early 1930’s.

3.     Grutter vs. Bolinger

Sandra Day O’Connor challenged the University of Michigan Law School and their interest to promote class diversity that justified a series of racial preferences. Grutter gave action supporters a clear road map to evade Bakke and continue to discriminate prosective students based on skin color.

4.     Griswold Vs. Connecticut

The court rejected a law that prohibits the use of contraceptives, but created a Right to Privacy. The interpretation of the Constitution stemmed from the Court’s apparent desire to disable Connecticut Legislature-passed laws without limiting the Conneticut Legislature’s government authority.

The Rights of Any UK Photographer

The freedom of expression is not only applicable to words, but also moments and images captured real time. In today’s time, one can self-publish and disseminate their work with legal protection. However, sometimes, UK photographers, who cannot be restricted in taking photos anywhere they choose get harassed or abused by officials and enforcers of the law. 

Sometimes, police officers who get photographed chase after the photographer and break their cameras for capturing their image publicly. It is respectable that some rules do not allow photographers to take photos of restricted government buildings.

The main rule of rights any UK photographer has is that if you are standing on public ground, you could take pictures of anyone and anything you like even if it is private or public property.

Most officials and professional photographers say that some photographers end up in violent situations because they do not respect the subjects; some forget to be courteous and just snap away, regardless if they’re capturing a moral or immoral scenario.

You could also use any photo taken of a private property to gain profit. However, you might need to gain the permission of the property owners if you want to endorse their products. Some big companies and institutions issue a statement that photographs taken within their vicinities are allowed but not allowed for commercial use.

An Introduction to UK’s Law Against Noise Pollution and Nuisance

Noise and nuisance is frequent especially in closely-knit neighbourhoods in the United Kingdom. There is a law the protects residents who are disturbed by great noise emitting from a neighbour, a nearby construction area or a nearby outdoor party or festivity. Here’s an introduction to your right against noise pollution and nuisance.

1.     Legal Definition of Noise

UK’s environmental laws define noise as unwanted sound that is loud or repetitive. Regardless of pitch, low or high frequency noise at consistent decibel levels can injure the ear. It is also considered a major source of stress. Noise becomes a nuisance when it becomes “unlawful” for the complainant. The unlawfulness is subjective to the complainant, but authorities will also consider the level of noise, the length, and the time of day the noise emits in the neighbourhood.

2.     Action

Local authorities usually serve abatement notices if the noise or nuisance reaches a statutory level. This means the noise is prejudicial to the health of a complainant or a resident of the area. For example, a loud rock concert near a home for the aged could result into a statutory abatement notice.

Police could deal with a complaint if the noise amounts to breach the peace in a neighbourhood or if the noise emitter has threatened the neighbourhood  with violent or anti-social behaviour.

3.     Best Practical Means

However, some noise and nuisances can come from construction areas and projects nearby. A defence available to most contractors is the “best practical means”. This means that the contractor has used every known reasonable means to reduce or control the effect of the noise. Authorities recognize that construction and industrial equipment or activity could emit great noise and these may affect neighbourhoods, but, having clearance to operate, contractors must fulfill their obligation to try and reduce the noise as much as possible and observe proper times for activity.

Copyrighting Original Music or Art

Recently, I recorded a good musical group in my own garage and produced their music to fit the standards set by the musical industry. The last step I needed to do was to get it copyrighted. I first thought that copyrighting music was a complicated process, but it really was not. I’d like to share with you a few things I learned throughout.

1.     The First Parts You Should Notice

A copyright notice should consist of the following parts, namely the word “copyright”, the year of publication, which should indicate the date the work was first made available to the public in any manner through the Internet or a demo CD, the copyright symbol in your record and the name of the copyright owner, which are the artists or musicians. In artworks such as paintings or Internet graphics, you have a document validating that you own full copyrights to the work you possess.

2.     It Lacks One Or Two Parts

If you find that it lacks some parts, maybe even more than two, don’t fret that it is not copyrighted. In reality, the Berne copyright convention, followed by most copyright organizations in the world, ensure that everything created privately has a copyright on its own without any documentation. However, a notice strengthens the protection of your right to your work.

3.     Fair Use Copyrights

It is not true that when you do not charge a violator, it is not considered a violation or infringement of your copyrights. It is still a violation if you give away a copy of your work and if you hurt its commercial value. For example, if da Vinci displayed the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, who gains many visitors and income due to visitors, and he decides to one day sell or give away his work, he could be charged a violation for copyrights.