retail at Brave New Films

Top European stores head for U.S.

2008-09-29T18:33:50Z

Aug 13 - Spanish retailer Zara passes the Gap as the world's top retailer, putting a spotlight on the rise of European shops.

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David Cay Johnston - A Moral Argument for Progressive Taxes

2008-06-09T12:41:58Z

Complete Video at: fora.tv

Author David Cay Johnston discusses the history of progressive taxation, and argues that these policies are inherent to a democratic government.

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Since 1995 when David Cay Johnston turned his investigative reporting skills to explore the murky waters of tax law, Some tax policy officials now consider him, as one tax law professor put it, "the de facto chief tax enforcement officer of the United States."

Johnston will detail how a strong and growing economy lends itself to job uncertainty, debt, bankruptcy, and economic fear for a vast number of Americans. As tax season draws to a close, come find out who is getting a free lunch and who is picking up the bill - The Commonwealth Club of California

David Cay Johnston was an investigative journalist for The New York Times now focusing on the subject of taxation. He accepted a buyout offer from the Times in April 2008 and is now an independent reporter.

He most recently published Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense and Stick You With The Bill, about hidden subsidies, rigged markets, and corporate socialism. It follows Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - and Cheat Everybody Else, a New York Times bestseller. Johnston received the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting "for his penetrating and enterprising reporting that exposed loopholes and inequities in the U.S. tax code, which was instrumental in bringing about reforms." He also won the Book of the Year award from Investigative Reporters & Editors.

Robert Saldich is the Chair of the Board of Governors at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA.

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David Cay Johnston - Problems with a "Fair Tax"

2008-06-09T16:38:10Z

Complete Video at: fora.tv

Author David Cay Johnston criticizes plans to replace income taxes with a "fair tax," otherwise known as a national retail sales tax.

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Robert Saldich is the Chair of the Board of Governors at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA.

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As economy slows consumers trade down

2008-06-11T15:31:45Z

Apr. 3 - More American consumers are trading down where they shop and in what they buy. They're also collecting coupons, buying in bulk, and willing to drive farther to a big discount store if that means saving more money. Fred Katayama reports from a Wal-mart store in Secaucus, New Jersey.

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Stocks slide on retail warning

2008-06-08T09:30:07Z

Mar. 28 - A profit warning from department store retailer JC Penney and a slump in consumer sentiment agitated Wall Street's fears of a consumer led slowdown. The Dow fell 86 points to 12,216. The S&P 500 lost 10 points to 1,315. The Nasdaq gave up 19 points to 2,261. Crude oil prices dropped nearly $2 to settle at $105.62 a barrel.

Conway Gittens reports from new York.

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