Mississippi business leaders will continue to hope that the new coronavirus, COVID-19, stays away from and out of our state.But even if we avoid direct exposure to this worldwide health crisis, Mississippi companies will face risk and resulting losses.From international shipping and travel to reliance on component parts manufactured on foreign shores, Mississippi businesses may not realize the full effect of the coronavirus for years ...
In view of the impending implementation of the Portable Gratuity Retirement Fund (“PRGF”), the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training has issued The Workers’ Rights (Portable Retirement Gratuity Fund) Regulations 2020 (the “PRGF Regulations”), deemed effective as from January 1, 2020. The implementation of the PRGF was, by a decision of Cabinet on December 13, 2019, postponed from 1 January 2020 to 1 April 2020 ...
A 2019 amendment to the Kenyan Companies Act, 2015 introduced a requirement for every company to keep a register of its beneficial owners and submit a copy of this register to the Registrar of Companies (the “Registrar”) within 30 days of preparation. In order to put the above statutory requirements into action, the Attorney-General published the Companies (Beneficial Ownership Information) Regulations, 2020 (the “Regulations”) with effect from 28 February 2020 ...
The Parliament of Rwanda recently passed two key laws to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (“WMDs”), in an effort to strengthen and increase confidence in its financial system. Law No. 74/2019 of 29 January 2020 establishing the Financial Intelligence Centre (“Law No ...
The right to strike is enshrined in section 23 of the South African Constitution and regulated in some detail in the LabourRelations Act, 1995 (“LRA”). It is a valuable arrow in the quiver of strategies to be considered by employees when engaging in collective bargaining, but employers also have recourse when it comes to collective bargaining: locking out employees. In a sense, the right to strike and the recourse to a lock-out in this context are two sides of the same coin ...
Coronavirus-Related Conditional Relief and Assistance On March 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced that it would provide conditional regulatory relief with respect to certain filing and mailing obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) for registrants, and other persons making filings with respect to a registrant, affected by the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) ...
In the past months, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has been a major topic of interest worldwide and continues to be a source of concern for all businesses across industries. Among the significant disruptions brought to the global economy, COVID-19 has a direct impact on the workplace. Various companies have already struggled to find out solutions to mitigate risks related to COVID-19 and to ensure business continuity ...
There has been an increase in the number of businesses seeking to exploit coronavirus for commercial gain, often in breach of relevant advertising and consumer regulations. What can you do to make sure your advertising practices are above board? Background A surge in the demand for products related to coronavirus, such as facemasks and hand sanitiser gel, has led to a range of issues, particularly in relation to responsible advertising and fair pricing practices ...
On February 13, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the promulgation of certain significant sections of the Competition Amendment Act, 2018, including a change to the confidentiality regime, the new buyer power provision and the new price discrimination provision. The trade & industry minister has also published new regulations on buyer power and price discrimination ...
In the recent Appeal Court case of Airtel Uganda Limited v. Uganda Revenue Authority, the provisions of section 15 of Uganda’s Tax Appeals Tribunal Act (TAT Act) and their wider implications came under scrutiny. In the case at hand, Airtel Uganda Limited (Airtel), a telecommunication company, lodged an objection to an assessment raised by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) on 25 February 2004 with the Tax Appeals Tribunal (TAT) ...
Given the difference between the effective rate of tax on capital gains and the highest marginal rate of tax imposed on income, in particular for individuals, it is important to determine whether the proceeds from the disposal of an asset are subject to capital gains tax or to income tax. In the Pick ‘n Pay case, the proceeds from the sale of certain shares were found to be capital in nature ...
A recent report published by the White House Council of Economic Advisers (“CEA”) on drug pricing in the United States of America has put the cost of medicine and the access thereto by the poor, firmly back in the spotlight. And on a global scale. In the CEA report, President Donald Trump’s administration argues that the USA pays higher prices for pharmaceuticals because other developed countries have systems in place to actively force down drug pricing ...
In our country there are a large number of transnational companies that have their operations in El Salvador, this due to the cost of labor, and the geographical position of our country that allows it to be a point of connection with other jurisdictions. It is common to realize that in many companies foreign personnel are hired and are even placed in leadership positions, so it is important that we are prepared with the applicable legislation in this type of hiring ...
The Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman envisages a holistic vision of healthcare that translates into wellness of the citizen ...
1. Changes in rules relating to determination of ‘residence’ in IndiaThe scope of income of a person liable to tax in India depends upon his residential status in a particular financial year. Indian Income Tax Act 1961 (the Act) recognizes three statuses, namely, Resident and Ordinarily resident’ (ROR), ‘Resident but not ordinarily resident’ (RNOR), and Non-resident (NR) ...
Union Budget 2020- Changes in provisions relating to Educational Institutions, Hospitals, Trusts, etc. engaged in Public Charitable or Research activities Current Position:Currently, the income of public charitable trusts and not-for-profit organisations, engaged in public charitable activities and registered with Income Tax department under Sections 12A or 12AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (the Act), is exempt if the same is applied to the objects of the trust or accumulated for doing so ...
Answers to important questions 1. WHAT INFORMATION OBLIGATIONS DOES THE EMPLOYER HAVE TO INFORM ITS WORKFORCE? As with other highly infectious diseases, employers have a duty to inform their staff about the coronavirus as part of their general duty of care and consideration (Sec. 241, 618 German Civil Code [BGB]). The extent of this duty to inform depends, among other things, on whether a member of staff is suspected of having caught the virus, whether or not this has been confirmed ...
The sudden rise in the number Covid-19 (“Coronavirus”) cases in Lombardy and other Italian Regions has prompted the relevant governmental authorities to adopt urgent measures to prevent and limit the spread of the virus, and this is starting to have an impact on the economy. In connection with these measures, on 31 January Italian government has declared a six-month state of emergency, which expires on 31 July 2020 (unless it is extended) ...
The stock market is undoubtedly one of the most important economic forces in the world. Every year, billions of dollars are moved through stock exchange operations, and year after year, in most jurisdictions, the stock market is promoted as a tool for financing or capturing capital for issuers and as an investment for thousands of participants seeking to place their funds in higher yield investments ...
The UK Government believes that up to a fifth of the workforce may be off sick during the peak of a Coronavirus epidemic. It remains to be seen whether Coronavirus will affect that volume of people, but there are already clear signs of how it is disrupting the day-to-day operations of businesses in the UK and around the rest of the world ...
From the end of January to the beginning of February of this year, the Republic of El Salvador declared an emergency due to a coronavirus, not because any case has been detected in the country, but precisely to prevent the entry of people infected with it ...
An article entitled “Cyprus Gets Its Halloumi Back” would leave most people scratching their heads. But a reader of Trademark Lawyer Magazine would immediately appreciate that it deals with the increasingly important issue of geographical indications and designations of origin. The issue described in the article is almost comical. Halloumi is, of course, a type of cheese, one that is closely associated with the island of Cyprus ...
When dealing with a workplace issue, an employer should be careful to identify the problem in question correctly so that the appropriate steps are taken. Failing to do so could lead to unnecessary or incorrect processes being followed, which could expose the employer to claims of unlawful or unfair conduct ...
Amazon is apparently the world’s most valuable brand, and is one that plays an increasingly important role in our lives. Although most of us know it as an online retailer, a recent BBC documentary describes it as being every bit as much a data-company, one that knows more about us than we know ourselves. We’ve reported on how Amazon is under considerable pressure to deal with the fact that counterfeit goods can be and are sold on its online platform ...
Greta Thunberg has the ability to divide opinion like few other celebrities, with a surprising number of people finding her strangely threatening. Perhaps it’s simply because Greta is always in the news, for instance, managing to winTime Magazine’s2019 Person of the Year award at the age of 17. She has been in the news again, this time in the context of trade marks ...
