Key Points The California Court of Appeal has issued the first published opinion interpreting California Senate Bill 35's (SB 35) new laws that streamline the approval of much-needed housing projects. Under SB 35, qualifying housing projects are eligible for ministerial review, which can reduce entitlement processing times by months if not years. In Ruegg & Ellsworth v. City of Berkeley (Cal. Ct. App., April 20, 2021, No ...
As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out in the Lao PDR we take this opportunity to answer some of the key questions that are being raised by employers and employees. In our publication and at our upcoming live event, our labor experts outline the rights and obligations of employers and employees when it comes to vaccination in the Lao PDR. Get your answers by downloading the publication and by attending our 20-minute webinar ...
The Private Investment Law (Law 10/18 of 26 June) was amended by Law 10/21 of 22 April. The new law marks the return of the contractual system to the area of private investment. As a result, the current private investment systems are the following: i) Prior declaration system ii) Special system iii) Contractual system The contractual system is applicable to projects in any sector ...
In the context of the approval of the Tax Package, which is part of the tax reform process started in 2020, on 15 April 2021, the Angolan General Tax Administration (AGT) published Instruction 0033/ GACA/GJ/AGT/2021 (the “Instruction”). The aim of this Instruction is to clarify and standardise the rules for the application in time of the amendments made to the main Tax Codes, in particular, the Industrial Tax Code and the Employment Income Tax Code ...
Did you know? The Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Transactions (“Measures”) released by the PRC State Administration for Market Regulation will come into force on 1 May 2021 and will replace the previous rules implemented in 2014. Among other things, the Measures impose more stringent requirements against the common practice of “bundled consent” ...
If the COVID-19 pandemic affected the value of your property, Ohio Senate Bill 57 (S.B. 57) may offer you (or your triple-net lease tenant) a chance to reduce your Ohio real property taxes not available under prior law. Property tax valuation complaints in Ohio counties can be filed only once in each three-year interim period, and property values are determined as of January 1 of the tax year. Because the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S ...
On April 28, 2021, President Biden addressed a Joint Session of Congress unveiling his proposals to invest in and restructure the American economy. In his address to Congress, President Biden formally announced his American Families Plan (the “AFP”) which combines $1 trillion in spending with $800 billion in tax cuts and credits for low and middle-class families, and targets high-income earners and corporations to fund all of the costs over a 15-year period ...
Two weeks before the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, Fraser Mitchell, partner at Shoosmiths sat down with political analyst, strategist, and commentator, Andy Maciver to discuss his views the current state of Scottish politics, the economy in the face of COVID, Brexit and the growing support for independence as well as key issues in the context of Scotland’s future. We have captured the key takeaways from the discussion below: Andy Maciver: AM Fraser Mitchell: FM 1 ...
The Government of Hong Kong gazetted the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 (the “Bill”) on 19 March which, among other things, seeks to amend the Inland Revenue Ordinance (“IRO”) to expand and clarify the scope of profits tax deductions for foreign taxes ...
Several listed companies recently bought the music rights of world famous stars such as Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift. The payoff of investing in music mainly comes from streams revenues. But the benefits do not seem to be that bad: for instance, since Sony bought Michael Jackson's music portfolio in 2016, its stock price has quadrupled (1) ...
Below is an update on the most relevant employment law measures adopted after the Decree of March 22, 2021, no. 41 (the so-called “Sostegni Decree”) within the framework of the COVID-19 emergency legislation and the on-going vaccination campaign ...
Over the weekend, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill that would enact a tax on gains from the sale or exchange of certain capital assets ...
Fee-to-trust, sometimes also called land-into-trust, is the process by which tribes can have land taken into trust by the federal government. Congress authorized the Department of the Interior (DOI) to take land into trust for tribes in 1934 under the Indian Reorganization Act, 25 U.S.C. 5108 ...
Over the weekend, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill that would enact a tax on gains from the sale or exchange of certain capital assets ...
In this three-part article series, we will share with you the intellectual property (IP)–related mistakes that we regularly see with startups. We hope you will find it useful for your business ...
JURISPRUDENCE Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd. & Ors. v. Amway India Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. & Ors. (Delhi High Court)1 The Division Bench of the Delhi High Court reversed the prior order which had restrained various e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal - from enabling sale of products of 'direct selling' companies without their consent. The Court held that the Direct Selling Guidelines of 2016 are not the law and are only advisory in nature ...
Tech Start-Up Companies Toolkits - ǼLEX Legal .avada-select-parent .select-arrow{background-color:#ffffff}.select-arrow{background-color:#ffffff} Are you running a start-up or contemplating starting that business and you are uncertain on how to proceed? Do not fret as AELEX Fintech centre has compiled this start-up tool kit to guide you on setting up your business ...
On March 23, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed a new law (Senate Bill 1480) that makes several meaningful changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). One significant change under the new law states employers may not use criminal conviction records when making employment decisions unless employers consider specific factors and take certain steps before making a final employment decision ...
The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has made an adjustment to its guidance to provide that entities which have concluded a bankruptcy proceeding are not, for purposes of PPP eligibility, considered in bankruptcy. Entities which are presently in bankruptcy are not eligible for a PPP loan. The SBA’s latest Frequently Asked Questions (found at https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/PPP%20FAQs%204.6.21%20FINAL-508.pdf) contain a new FAQ Number 67 ...
As a follow up to my article on December 4, 2020, reporting that California enacted SB 908 – the Debt Collection Licensing Act, Financial Code Division 25, Sections 100000, et seq., the administering agency Department of Financial Protection and Innovation issued its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Friday, April 23rd. The proposed regulations for Debt Collection Licensing Act will be installed in Title 10, California Code of Regulations, Subchapter 11 ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the difficulties in reacting at European level to a major health crisis and the intention of the European Commission is to respond more effectively to future problems in the area of health. As a result, it is currently conducting an initial assessment of possible legislative changes in the area of medicinal products for human use ...
Mojave Desert Holdings, LLC v. Crocs, Inc., Appeal No. 2020-1167 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 21, 2021) The Federal Circuit issued a single precedential patent case this week—a modified version of a non-precedential order issued February 11, 2021 concerning substitution of a successor company for a bankrupt company in PTAB proceedings. The modified version of the order has been designated precedential, with a dissenting opinion issued by Judge O’Malley ...
Background Companies operating in EU may already be aware that on December 2019 the Whistleblowers Directive[1] came into force. The Whistleblowers Directive aims at establishing a framework with common minimum standards for ensuring whistleblowers’ protection across all EU Member States. The transposition deadline almost knocks on the door since it expires in December 2021 ...
