The effectiveness of the South African double taxation relief provisions for South African companies investing in other African estates

South Africa has expressed its desire to be the gateway for investment into Africa. With its residence-based tax system which taxes the worldwide income of its tax residents, South African companies will be open to double taxation where the investee country claims jurisdiction to tax income generated from within its borders. In addition, other provisions in the South African tax legislation increase the possibility of double taxation by including the income of foreign subsidiaries. Two such examples are the definition of a tax resident, which includes foreign subsidiaries that are effectively managed by their holding companies in South Africa, and the anti-avoidance measures, such as the controlled foreign company provisions, which impute the income of a foreign subsidiary to the South African investment company. Many South African companies have chosen to route their investments in African countries through foreign subsidiaries. Besides having a more investor-friendly tax regime, these countries offer more favourable relief from double taxation, both unilaterally and by means of their network of tax treaties. South Africa has identified some of its shortcomings. It has introduced concessionary tax provisions for locally based headquarter companies that invest abroad. It recognises the high cost of doing business in Africa due to the fact that many African countries impose withholding taxes on several types of income even though they may not be from a local source. Therefore, South Africa is granting tax rebates for foreign withholding taxes paid on service fees charged to foreign entities despite the income being derived from a South African source. Both these measures reduce double taxation but, are they sufficient to encourage direct investment from South Africa into other African countries? This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the South African double taxation relief provisions by using a case study of a South African company that has investments in several African countries. It compares the application of the double taxation relief provisions of South Africa, another African country and a non-African country to the case study. It analyses the outcomes and assesses the effectiveness of South Africa’s current legislation for unilateral tax relief and its tax treaties in minimising double taxation. Finally, it makes some recommendations on possible improvements to the legislation in order to achieve the stated goal of being the financial hub for investment into Africa AFRIKAANS : Suid Afrika het aangedui dat dit die poort vir belegging na Afrika wil wees. Die heffing van belasting op die wêreldwye inkomste van belastingpligtige inwoners stel Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye egter bloot aan dubbelbelasting indien die land waarin beleggings gemaak word ook aanspraak maak op die reg om inkomste wat in daardie land verdien is, te belas. Sekere bepalings in die Suid-Afrikaanse belastingwetgewing stel belastingbetalers verder bloot aan dubbelbelasting indien die inkomste van buitelandse filiale ook by die inkomste van inwoners ingesluit moet word. Twee sulke voorbeelde sluit die definisie van belastingpligtige inwoner ingevolge waarvan buitelandse filiale wat effektiewelik deur hulle houermaatskappy in Suid-Afrika bestuur word en sekere teenvermydingsmaatstawwe, soos byvoorbeeld die beheerde buitelandse maatskappy bepalings ingevolge waarvan die inkomste van ʼn buitelandse filiaal aan ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse beleggingsmaatskappy toegeskryf word, in. Daar is heelwat Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye wat verkies om hulle beleggings in Afrika deur middel van filiale wat in ander lande geregistreer is, te hou. Hierdie gekose lande het nie net gunstige belasting instellings bewinde nie maar bied ook meer voordelige verligting van dubbelbelasting, beide eensydig en deur middel van hulle netwerk van belastingooreenkomste, aan. Suid-Afrika het sy tekortkominge geidentifiseer. Voordelige belastingbepalings is geskep vir plaaslike hoofkantoor maatskappye wat beleggings in die buiteland hou. Erkenning is gegee aan die hoë koste om besigheid in Afrika te doen as gevolg van die feit dat menige Afrika-lande belasting op verskeie tipe inkomste weerhou selfs as die oorsprong van die inkomste nie vanuit daardie lande kom nie. Suid-Afrika is gewillig om belastingkortings vir die buitelandse belasting so weerhou toe te staan ten spyte daarvan dat die oorsprong van die inkomste in Suid-Afrika is. Beide die maatstawwe is gemik op tot die vermindering van dubbelbelasting, maar is dit voldoende om direkte beleggings vanaf Suid-Afrika in ander Afrika-lande aan te moedig? Die doelwit van hierdie studie is om te bepaal hoe effektief die Suid-Afrikaanse bepalings wat gemik is om dubbelbelasting te verhoed deur middel van ‘n gevallestudie van ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappy wat meervoudige beleggings in verskeie Afrika-lande het. Die studie vergelyk die toepassing van die vermindering van dubbelbelastingbepalings van Suid-Afrika, ʼn ander Afrika-land en ʼn nie-Afrika-land. Die resultate word geanaliseer en die effektiwiteit van die huidige wetgewing vir eensydige verligting van dubbelbelasting en die huidige belastingooreenkomste om dubbelbelasting te verminder, word beraam. Ten slotte, die studie beoog ook om aanbevelings wat dalk die wetgewing kan verbeter ten einde die gewensde doelwit om Suid Afrika die finansiële poort vir beleggings in Afrika te bereik, te maak.Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012.Taxationunrestricte

Vermont Agriculture and Food System Plan 2020 -- A Review of Recommendations (Part One)

Key Findings in reviewing the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Plan: 1. All recommendations in this review have been coded into eight thematic categories to be used more effectively by stakeholders. 2. We identify four clusters of recommendations to assist stakeholders in understanding the relationships between categories and enabling understanding of the various stakeholders and resources necessary to implement recommendations from different briefs 3. 87% of recommendations either request direct funding for an initiative or recommend a capital expenditure. With financial challenges amidst COVID-19, we highlight eight recommendations for a Vermont Food System that could move forward without financial resources. 4. In the future, giving authors a guide for writing recommendations would make them easier to categorize and implement

Island, Identity, and Trauma: The Three Ecologies of Wu Ming-Yi's 'The Man With the Compound Eyes'

Following Ivakhiv's tri-ecological perspective, we undertake an analysis of Wu Ming-Yi's ecological science fiction *The Man with the Compound Eyes*, which skillfully delineates a multi-faceted, three-dimensional network of island ecology via anthropomorphic, geomorphic, and biomorphic images. Through a sci-fi imaginary event in which a colossal trash vortex collides with the east coast of Taiwan, the book effectively unveils three profound ecological crises: the harrowing contamination of the island and oceanic ecology; the looming peril to ecocultural identity, stemming from the destruction of inhabited places; the psychological trauma inflicted by the encroachment of ecological colonization. Simultaneously, the work thoughtfully underscores humanity's latent capacity for ecosophy and presents a vision of an 'ecological posthumanism'

Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Asteroid (4) Vesta

We report a comprehensive review of the UV-visible spectrum and rotational lightcurve of Vesta combining new observations by Hubble Space Telescope and Swift Gamma-ray Burst Observatory with archival International Ultraviolet Explorer observations. The geometric albedos of Vesta from 220 nm to 953 nm are derived by carefully comparing these observations from various instruments at different times and observing geometries. Vesta has a rotationally averaged geometric albedo of 0.09 at 250 nm, 0.14 at 300 nm, 0.26 at 373 nm, 0.38 at 673 nm, and 0.30 at 950 nm. The linear spectral slope as measured between 240 and 320 nm in the ultraviolet displays a sharp minimum near a sub-Earth longitude of 20^{\circ}, and maximum in the eastern hemisphere. This is consistent with the longitudinal distribution of the spectral slope in the visible wavelength. The photometric uncertainty in the ultraviolet is ~20%, and in the visible wavelengths it is better than 10%. The amplitude of Vesta's rotational lightcurves is ~10% throughout the range of wavelengths we observed, but is smaller at 950 nm (~6%) near the 1-\mum band center. Contrary to earlier reports, we found no evidence for any difference between the phasing of the ultraviolet and visible/near-infrared lightcurves with respect to sub-Earth longitude. Vesta's average spectrum between 220 and 950 nm can well be described by measured reflectance spectra of fine particle howardite-like materials of basaltic achondrite meteorites. Combining this with the in-phase behavior of the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared lightcurves, and the spectral slopes with respect to the rotational phase, we conclude that there is no global ultraviolet/visible reversal on Vesta. Consequently, this implies a lack of global space weathering on Vesta, as previously inferred from visible-near-infrared data.Comment: 44 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Cognitive rehabilitation for attention and memory in people with multiple sclerosis: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (CRAMMS)

Background People with multiple sclerosis have problems with memory and attention. Cognitive rehabilitation is a structured set of therapeutic activities designed to retrain an individual’s memory and other cognitive functions. Cognitive rehabilitation may be provided to teach people strategies to cope with these problems, in order to reduce the impact on everyday life. The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for people with multiple sclerosis has not been established. Methods This is a multi-centre, randomised controlled trial investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a group-based cognitive rehabilitation programme for attention and memory problems for people with multiple sclerosis. Four hundred people with multiple sclerosis will be randomised from at least four centres. Participants will be eligible if they have memory problems, are 18 to 69 years of age, are able to travel to attend group sessions and give informed consent. Participants will be randomised in a ratio of 6:5 to the group rehabilitation intervention plus usual care or usual care alone. Intervention groups will receive 10 weekly sessions of a manualised cognitive rehabilitation programme. The intervention will include both restitution strategies to retrain impaired attention and memory functions and compensation strategies to enable participants to cope with their cognitive problems. All participants will receive a follow-up questionnaire and an assessment by a research assistant at 6 and 12 months after randomisation. The primary outcome is the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS) Psychological subscale at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include the Everyday Memory Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire-30, EQ-5D and a service use questionnaire from participants, and the Everyday Memory Questionnaire-relative version and Carer Strain Index from a relative or friend. The primary analysis will be based on intention to treat. A mixed-model regression analysis of the MSIS Psychological subscale at 12 months will be used to estimate the effect of the group cognitive rehabilitation programme. Discussion The study will provide evidence regarding the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a group-based cognitive rehabilitation programme for attention and memory problems in people with multiple sclerosis. Trial registration: ISRCTN09697576. Registered 14 August 2014

Characterization of the near-Earth Asteroid 2002NY40

In August 2002, the near-Earth asteroid 2002 NY40, made its closest approach to the Earth. This provided an opportunity to study a near-Earth asteroid with a variety of instruments. Several of the telescopes at the Maui Space Surveillance System were trained at the asteroid and collected adaptive optics images, photometry and spectroscopy. Analysis of the imagery reveals the asteroid is triangular shaped with significant self-shadowing. The photometry reveals a 20-hour period and the spectroscopy shows that the asteroid is a Q-type

Group cognitive rehabilitation to reduce the psychological impact of multiple sclerosis on quality of life: the CRAMMS RCT

AbstractBackgroundPeople with multiple sclerosis have problems with memory and attention. The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation has not been established.ObjectivesThe objectives were to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a cognitive rehabilitation programme for people with multiple sclerosis.DesignThis was a multicentre, randomised controlled trial in which participants were randomised in a ratio of 6 : 5 to receive cognitive rehabilitation plus usual care or usual care alone. Participants were assessed at 6 and 12 months after randomisation.SettingThe trial was set in hospital neurology clinics and community services.ParticipantsParticipants were people with multiple sclerosis who had cognitive problems, were aged 18–69 years, could travel to attend group sessions and gave informed consent.InterventionThe intervention was a group cognitive rehabilitation programme delivered weekly by an assistant psychologist to between four and six participants for 10 weeks.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale – Psychological subscale at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included results from the Everyday Memory Questionnaire, the 30-Item General Health Questionnaire, the EuroQol-5 Dimensions, five-level version and a service use questionnaire from participants, and the Everyday Memory Questionnaire – relative version and the Modified Carer Strain Index from a relative or friend of the participant.ResultsOf the 449 participants randomised, 245 were allocated to cognitive rehabilitation (intervention group) and 204 were allocated to usual care (control group). Of these, 214 in the intervention group and 173 in the control group were included in the primary analysis. There was no clinically important difference in the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale – Psychological subscale score between the two groups at the 12-month follow-up (adjusted difference in means –0.6, 95% confidence interval –1.5 to 0.3; p = 0.20). There were no important differences between the groups in relation to cognitive abilities, fatigue, employment, or carer strain at follow-up. However, there were differences, although small, between the groups in the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale – Psychological subscale score at 6 months (adjusted difference in means –0.9, 95% confidence interval –1.7 to –0.1; p = 0.03) and in everyday memory on the Everyday Memory Questionnaire as reported by participants at 6 (adjusted difference in means –5.3, 95% confidence interval –8.7 to –1.9) and 12 months (adjusted difference in means –4.4, 95% confidence interval –7.8 to –0.9) and by relatives at 6 (adjusted difference in means –5.4, 95% confidence interval –9.1 to –1.7) and 12 months (adjusted difference in means –5.5, 95% confidence interval –9.6 to –1.5) in favour of the cognitive rehabilitation group. There were also differences in mood on the 30-Item General Health Questionnaire at 6 (adjusted difference in means –3.4, 95% confidence interval –5.9 to –0.8) and 12 months (adjusted difference in means –3.4, 95% confidence interval –6.2 to –0.6) in favour of the cognitive rehabilitation group. A qualitative analysis indicated perceived benefits of the intervention. There was no evidence of a difference in costs (adjusted difference in means –£574.93, 95% confidence interval –£1878.93 to £729.07) or quality-adjusted life-year gain (adjusted difference in means 0.00, 95% confidence interval –0.02 to 0.02). No safety concerns were raised and no deaths were reported

The clinical and cost-effectiveness of rehabilitation of memory in brain injury: the ReMemBrIn RCT

Background People with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) commonly report memory impairments. These are persistent, debilitating, and reduce quality of life, but patients do not routinely receive memory rehabilitation after discharge from hospital. Objectives To assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a group memory rehabilitation programme for people with TBI. Design Multi-centre, pragmatic, cluster randomised controlled trial. Qualitative and health economic evaluations were also undertaken. Setting Community settings in nine sites in England. Participants Participants were aged 18-69 years, with TBI more than 3 months prior to recruitment, reported memory problems, who were able to travel to a site to attend group sessions, communicate in English, and gave informed consent. Randomisation and blinding Clusters of 4 to 6 participants were randomised to intervention or control on a 1:1 ratio. Randomisation was based on a computer generated pseudo-random code using random permuted blocks of randomly varying size, stratified by study site. Participants and therapists were aware of the treatment allocation; outcome assessors were blinded. Interventions Ten weekly sessions of a manualised memory rehabilitation programme were provided in addition to usual care. Participants were taught restitution strategies to retrain impaired memory functions and compensation strategies to enable them to cope with memory problems. The control arm received usual care only. Outcomes Outcomes were assessed at 6 and 12 months after randomisation. Primary: Patient-completed Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ-p) at 6-month follow-up. Secondary: Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test-3, General Health Questionnaire-30, European Brain Injury Questionnaire, Everyday Memory Questionnaire-relative version, individual goal attainment. Costs (based on a UK NHS and PSS perspective) were collected using a service use questionnaire, with the EQ-5D 5L used to derive Quality Adjusted Life Years. A Markov model was developed to explore cost-effectiveness at 5 and 10 years, with 3.5% discount applied. Results We randomised 328 participants (intervention: n=171; control: n=157), with 129 in the intervention arm and 122 in the control arm included in the primary analysis. We found no clinically important difference on the EMQ-p between the two arms at 6-month follow-up (adjusted difference in means -2.1, 95% CI -6.7 to 2.5, p=0.37). For secondary outcomes, differences favouring the intervention arm were observed at 6-month follow-up for RBMT and goal attainment, but remained only for goal attainment at 12-month follow-up. There were no differences between arms in mood or quality of life. Qualitative results suggested positive experiences of participating in the trial and of attending the groups. Participants reported that memory rehabilitation was not routinely accessible in usual care. The primary health economics outcome at 12-months found memory rehabilitation to be £26.89 cheaper than usual care but less effective with an incremental QALY loss of 0.007. Differences in costs and effects were not statistically significant and non-parametric bootstrapping demonstrated considerable uncertainty in these findings. No safety concerns were raised and no deaths reported. Limitations As a pragmatic trial, we had broad inclusion criteria, therefore there was considerable heterogeneity within the sample. The study was not powered to perform further sub-group analyses. Participants and therapists could not be blinded to treatment allocation. Conclusions The group memory rehabilitation delivered in this trial is very unlikely to lead to clinical benefits or to be a cost-effective treatment for people with TBI in the community. Future work Future studies should examine the inclusion and selection of participants who may benefit most from memory rehabilitation. Registration ISRCTN65792154 Funding National Institute for Health Research, Health Technology Assessmen

Cognitive rehabilitation for attention and memory in people with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial (CRAMMS)

Objective: To assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for attention and memory problems in people with multiple sclerosis. Design: Multicentre, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial. Setting: Community Participants: People with multiple sclerosis aged 18–69 years, who reported cognitive problems in daily life and had cognitive problems on standardized assessment. Interventions: A group cognitive rehabilitation programme delivered in 10 weekly sessions in comparison with usual care. Main measures: The primary outcome was the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale Psychological subscale at 12 months after randomization. Secondary outcomes included measures of everyday memory problems, mood, fatigue, cognitive abilities and employment at 6 and 12 months after randomization. Results: In all, 245 participants were allocated to cognitive rehabilitation and 204 to usual care. Mean Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale Psychological at 12 months was 22.2 (SD = 6.1) for cognitive rehabilitation and 23.4 (SD = 6.0) for usual care group; adjusted difference −0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −1.5 to 0.3, P = 0.20. No differences were observed in cognitive abilities, fatigue or employment. There were small differences in favour of cognitive rehabilitation for the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale Psychological at 6 months and everyday memory and mood at 6 and 12 months. There was no evidence of an effect on costs (−£808; 95% CI = −£2248 to £632) or on quality-adjusted life year gain (0.00; 95% CI = −0.01 to 0.02). Conclusion: This rehabilitation programme had no long-term benefits on the impact of multiple sclerosis on quality of life, but there was some evidence of an effect on everyday memory problems and mood

ESPÉCIES VEGETAIS NO TRATAMENTO DA ANSIEDADE: revisão sistemática de estudos clínicos e experimentais

Anxiety is the second most prevalent mental disorder in the world, being associated with negative repercussions for the individual, limiting and hindering their ability to adapt. The significant increase in the use of natural remedies as an alternative to the conventional treatment of this disorder culminates in the use of plant species and their preparations. The objective of this systematic exploratory review was to investigate and analyze the activity of plant species in improving symptoms related to anxiety. A search for clinical and experimental articles was carried out in the Pubmed, MEDLINE and Scielo databases, using the descriptors "medicinal plants and anxiety" and "medicinal plants and anti-anxiety agents". Of the 411 papers found, 22 experimental articles and only 1 clinical one were selected. Twenty-seven plant species were identified in the recovered articles. The leaf was the most widely used pharmacogen in isolation (50%), followed by the bark, aerial part / branch and root (7.14%, each). The aqueous extract was mostly used (38.46%) and maceration and hydrodistillation were the most cited extraction methods, appearing in 54.55% and 18.18% of the studies, respectively. A remarkable number of plant species exerts anxiolytic effects proven in experimental studies, whose main mechanism of action is the participation of the GABAA receptor in the mediation of anxiolytic activity. Most of the evaluated plants do not modify the motor performance of the animals, which represents an advantage to the detriment of what is observed in conventional anxiety pharmacotherapy.La ansiedad es el segundo trastorno mental más prevalente en el mundo, estando asociado a repercusiones negativas para el individuo, limitando y dificultando su capacidad de adaptación. El aumento significativo en el uso de remedios naturales como alternativa al tratamiento convencional de este trastorno culmina en el uso de especies vegetales y sus preparaciones. El objetivo de esta revisión exploratoria sistemática fue investigar y analizar la actividad de las especies vegetales en la mejora de los síntomas relacionados con la ansiedad. Se realizó una búsqueda de artículos clínicos y experimentales en las bases de datos Pubmed, MEDLINE y Scielo, utilizando los descriptores "plantas medicinales y ansiedad" y "plantas medicinales y agentes ansiolíticos". De los 411 artículos encontrados, se seleccionaron 22 artículos experimentales y solo 1 clínico. Veintisiete especies de plantas fueron identificadas en los artículos recuperados. La hoja fue la farmacogeno más utilizada de forma aislada (50%), seguida de la corteza, la parte aérea/rama y la raíz (7,14%, cada una). El extracto acuoso fue el más utilizado (38,46%) y la maceración e hidrodestilación fueron los métodos de extracción más citados, apareciendo en el 54,55% y el 18,18% de los estudios, respectivamente. Un notable número de especies vegetales ejerce efectos ansiolíticos comprobados en estudios experimentales, cuyo principal mecanismo de acción es la participación del receptor GABAA  en la mediación de la actividad ansiolítica. La mayoría de las plantas evaluadas no modifican el rendimiento motor de los animales, lo que representa una ventaja en detrimento de lo observado en la farmacoterapia convencional de ansiedad.A ansiedade é o segundo transtorno mental mais prevalente no mundo, estando associada a repercussões negativas para o indivíduo, limitando e dificultando a sua capacidade de adaptação. O aumento significativo do uso de remédios naturais como alternativa ao tratamento convencional desse transtorno culmina no uso de espécies vegetais e suas preparações. O objetivo desta revisão sistemática do tipo exploratória foi investigar e analisar a atividade de espécies vegetais no melhoramento dos sintomas relacionados a ansiedade. Realizou-se uma busca por artigos clínicos e experimentais nas bases de dados Pubmed, MEDLINE e Scielo, utilizando os descritores “plantas medicinais e ansiedade” e “plantas medicinais e efeitos ansiolíticos”. Dos 411 trabalhos encontrados, foram selecionados 22 artigos de cunho experimental e apenas 1 de cunho clínico. Vinte e sete espécies vegetais foram identificadas nos artigos recuperados. A folha foi o farmacógeno mais usado de forma isolada (50%), seguido da casca, parte aérea/galho e raiz (7,14%, cada). O extrato aquoso foi majoritariamente utilizado (38,46%) e a maceração e a hidrodestilação foram os métodos de extração mais citados, aparecendo em 54,55% e 18,18% dos estudos, respectivamente. Uma notável quantidade de espécies vegetais exerce efeitos ansiolíticos comprovados em estudos experimentais, cujo principal mecanismo de ação consiste na participação do receptor GABAA na mediação da atividade ansiolítica. A maioria das plantas avaliadas não modifica o desempenho motor dos animais, o que representa uma vantagem em detrimento ao que se observa na farmacoterapia convencional da ansiedade